US-Funded Riots Target Indonesia (or, NED is Alive and Well…) 

US-Funded Riots Target Indonesia (or, NED is Alive and Well…) 

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth said in May during the Singapore-based Shangri La Dialogue the US would focus more on the, “Indo-Pacific” region after years of distractions waging war and regime change elsewhere around the globe. 

Source: Remarks by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the 2025 Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore (As Delivered) 

Since then, there has been a border war between Thailand and Cambodia precipitated by US-backed politicians on both sides of the border, and now violent “student protests” in Indonesia similar to US-sponsored riots in Hong Kong and Thailand in recent years. 

Known Western government funded (including US NED-funded) media organizations, “rights groups,” and others (like Remotivi, Project Multatuli and Jakarta Legal Aid) in Indonesia are openly backing the protests and attacking the current government. 

Sources: Project Multatuli admits on its site collaboration with Open Society and a variety of NED-adjacent funding tools used by the US for political interference worldwide: Collaborations

Remotivi and Project Multatuli are both mentioned as being disrupted by temporary NED funding freezes earlier this year: ‘Without us, no scrutiny’: Indonesia’s independent media count cost of US funding cuts

Their social media presence has spent the duration of the protests condemning the government and police and encouraging unrest. The same formula of violent protests forcing police responses, leading to injured or dead protesters, thus increasing the size and violence of the protests is in motion. The same US color revolution gimmicks – using colors, flags, pop culture symbols for protest branding are also being used. In Thailand it was the “Hunger Games” and “Harry Potter,” in Indonesia, the BBC boasts of “One Piece” pirate flags being flown. 

Source: How a cartoon skull became a symbol of defiance in Indonesia

The goal at best is to install a client regime willing to transform Indonesia into a Ukraine-style battering ram against China, and at a minimum, destabilize the nation and reduce its utility in both China’s and all of Asia’s rise.

Brian Berletic: Twitter

Previously:

Tensions soar across Indonesia as protests against police erupt in multiple cities

Thai-Cambodian Conflict Only Suits American Interests

Tensions soar across Indonesia as protests against police erupt in multiple cities

Tensions soar across Indonesia as protests against police erupt in multiple cities

The unrest came after a video on social media apparently showing the death of the motorcycle taxi driver during Thursday’s clashes shocked the nation and spurred an outcry against the security forces.

Witnesses told local television that the armored car from the National Police’s Mobile Brigade unit suddenly sped through the crowd of demonstrators and hit Kurniawan, causing him to fall. Instead of stopping, the car ran over him.

Related:

Prabowo Criticizes Police as Protest Death Fuels Jakarta Unrest

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COINTELPRO 2.0: Project Esther, EO 14243, and Palantir

The pattern is familiar, and the escalation is predictable. I warned about this recently, and now it’s unfolding exactly as anticipated.

From my May 22 post:

Just as I anticipated, the blame is being directed at China. Marco Rubio, currently serving in the Trump administration, has previously targeted various leftist organizations for their funding connections to Neville Roy Singham, who has been accused of having ties to the Communist Party of China. These allegations originated from front groups linked to Stratfor, often referred to as the “Shadow CIA,” as well as the State Department and U.S. Intelligence. Additionally, the Network Contagion Research Institute (NCRI) receives backing from the Israel lobby. Recall my previous post about Project Esther, which linked antisemitism to Marxism. Expect a crackdown on leftists and other antiwar activists who are protesting the Gaza war.

On May 28, the Heritage Foundation—architect of Project Esther—officially embraced the narrative linking pro-Palestinian activism to Chinese influence.

The Heritage Foundation’s Project Esther is more than a framework—it’s a blueprint for ideological suppression masquerading as national security policy. By tying anti-Zionism to antisemitism, then layering in foreign influence accusations, the initiative sets the stage for a sweeping crackdown on dissent. Under the guise of national security, any challenge to U.S. policy—whether in opposition to the Gaza war or broader leftist movements—can be framed as a foreign threat. This justification makes mass surveillance not just palatable but necessary.

Enter Palantir—the data engine that makes ideological suppression scalable. While Heritage Foundation shapes the narrative and justification for crackdowns, Palantir provides the technical apparatus to execute them. As I warned in my earlier post, EO 14243 and Trump’s Data Consolidation: The Hidden Agenda Behind Big Tech Surveillance, Palantir is embedding digital IDs across DHS, IRS, and Social Security, consolidating surveillance under the guise of fraud prevention. These tools, once presented as safeguards against fraud, now serve a far clearer purpose: streamlining the targeting and suppression of leftist dissent. Heritage Foundation supplies the blueprint—Palantir builds the machinery.

This isn’t new. The playbook remains the same—COINTELPRO weaponized bureaucratic surveillance to neutralize Black liberation and leftist movements under the guise of national security. Now, Project Esther will leverage EO 14243’s infrastructure to fuse ideological suppression with the mechanics of automated surveillance. Just as COINTELPRO framed activists as subversives to justify government crackdowns, Project Esther weaponizes accusations of extremism and foreign influence to achieve similar ends. The targets have shifted, but the machinery of repression remains intact.

Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

EO 14243 and Trump’s Data Consolidation: The Hidden Agenda Behind Big Tech Surveillance

As the implications of Executive Order 14243 (Stopping Waste, Fraud, and Abuse by Eliminating Information Silos) unfold, concerns about mass data aggregation and AI-driven surveillance are growing. This isn’t a distant possibility—it’s happening now, reshaping governance in ways that will only become clear when the consequences are irreversible. For those still questioning the scale of this transformation, consider this from Brian Berletic on Twitter:

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