August 3, 2025 | 08:23 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Indonesia's Banten Provincial Police have threatened to take firm action against residents who intentionally raise the pirate flag of One Piece during the 80th Anniversary of Indonesian Independence Day.
"If someone is proven to have committed a violation and does not raise the Indonesian national flag, we will certainly take firm action," said Banten Regional Police Deputy Chief Brigadier General Hengki in Tangerang on Saturday, August 2, 2025.
According to him, the movement to fly the flag symbolizing pirates is a form of provocation that can degrade the dignity of the Indonesian national flag.
Furthermore, the movement can also undermine the struggle of the predecessors who sacrificed for Indonesian independence. "We must be grateful for the struggle of our predecessors who fought with their lives to defend Indonesia's independence," he said.
He also hopes that the community, especially in the Banten region, will always show their nationalism by hoisting the Indonesian national flag. "So, the hope is that all Indonesian national flags are hoisted," he said.
He emphasized that the situation of public order and security in the Banten region is ensured to be conducive. "In Banten, it doesn't exist. In Banten, it's all about the Indonesian national flag," he claimed.
The trend of raising pirate flags (jolly roger) from the manga One Piece has recently become prevalent. The flag with a skull and crossbones, along with a straw hat, is the symbol of the Straw Hat Pirates group led by Monkey D Luffy, the main character in the Japanese comic.
One Piece is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Eiichiro Oda. The manga series that tells the adventure of Monkey D Luffy becoming the pirate king has been published since July 22, 1997, until now.
For its fans, several stories in the One Piece comic represent resistance against injustice. In some of the stories, Monkey D Luffy and his companions have to confront corrupt governments, sadistic military forces, human rights violations, genocide, racial discrimination, and attempts to manipulate history.
This comic also depicts a number of iconic scenes. For example, when the Straw Hat Pirates burnt the world government's flag to show support for one of their companions, an archaeologist who has been pursued by the military since the age of eight just for studying lost history.
Another scene is when Luffy punches a world ruler and aristocrat for demeaning his comrade and considering other humans as inferior.
Ahmad Faiz contributed to the writing of this article.
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