Indonesian students and civil society organisations have decided to suspend protests following a week of escalating unrest over lawmakers’ salaries and police actions, citing fear of intensified security measures after deadly riots occurred over the weekend.

The protests, which began in Jakarta a week ago, have grown in size and intensity, particularly after a police vehicle struck and killed a motorcycle taxi driver on Thursday night.

As tensions mounted President Prabowo Subianto announced on Sunday that political parties had agreed to rescue lawmakers’ benefits in an effort to quell the demonstrations, which have resulted in at least five fatalities.

In response to the violence, which included attacks on political party members’ homes and state buildings, the president ordered the military and police to take decisive action against rioters and looters.

A coalition of women-led groups, Alliance of Indonesian Women, announced a postponement of planned protests at the parliament to prevent potential crackdowns by authorities, stating, “The delay is done to avoid increased violent escalation by authorities until the situation calms down”.

Student organisations also choose to delay their protests, with one group citing “very impossible conditions”. It remains uncertain whether other groups will proceed with demonstrations in Jakarta or in other cities, as some social media posts have warned of fake protest flyers circulating.

The ongoing protests and violence have negatively impacted financial markets, with the stock market dropping over 3% in early trading on Monday.