Three-Finger Protest Salute Falsely Tied to Ganjar Pranowo Support
Social media posts claim Indonesian protesters' three-finger salute shows backing for Ganjar Pranowo, President Prabowo Subianto's 2024 election rival. A student union that organized the October 2026 rallies says the gesture came from The Hunger Games and has no political affiliation.
Posts misrepresent protest salute as support for Prabowo rival Ganjar Pranowo, linking a three-finger gesture used in Indonesia's October 2026 protests to the former presidential candidate. The salute is not a sign of support for him, and a student union that organized the rallies says it has no tie to any person or political group.
Thousands of Indonesians took to the streets in October 2026 over economic hardship, corruption and Jakarta's handling of wildfires. The salute became a symbol of the demonstrations.
What the posts claim
A Facebook video shared on October 27, 2026 stacks two clips vertically. The top one shows a running event and a man in a red shirt raising a three-finger salute. The bottom one shows protesters in black making the same gesture.
The Indonesian text reads: "The hand gesture is the same, isn't it? Enough already! This unrest was planned and orchestrated by the elites behind it, and it was entirely predictable."
The man in the top clip is Ganjar Pranowo, who ran against President Prabowo Subianto in the 2024 election. His running mate was Mahfud MD, a university professor and former security minister. The same claim also spread on TikTok and Facebook after the October protests.
Where the gesture comes from
The bottom clip shows student protesters at an anti-government protest on October 20. Photographs show protesters making the salute throughout the October demonstrations.
The gesture predates Ganjar's 2024 campaign and has long been a symbol in pro-democracy movements. During the campaign, he popularized variations of the three-finger salute to reference his ballot number.
The University of Indonesia's Student Executive Board (BEM UI) has organized demonstrations since June over economic conditions, corruption and wildfires. Spokesperson Lionel Silaloho said on November 4 that "The gesture drew inspiration from 'The Hunger Games' and protests that happened in other countries."
The union says the gesture is not affiliated with any individual or political group.
In The Hunger Games books and films, residents of a dystopian future North America first use the gesture to express thanks, admiration and goodbye. It later becomes a broader symbol of uprising against their wealthy, totalitarian rulers. Youth-led pro-democracy protests in Hong Kong and Thailand have also adopted it.
The running clip
A reverse image search of the top clip led to a matching Instagram video on Ganjar's account, published on October 24. He was taking part in a running event in Jakarta that day, the same day as a wildfire protest in Yogyakarta.
The video's caption reads: "Today, at the Jakarta Running Festival, our footsteps and cheers came together to voice our opposition to forest fires. We all hope this disaster will be brought under control soon."
Ganjar remains in politics despite his 2024 defeat. He serves as a chairman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle, which acts as a "balancing force" to the ruling administration.
