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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Fact Check: Indonesian Flag Tore at Monas in 2025, Not Ahead of 2026 Independence Day

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Translated from Indonesian, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Sources not specified Outcome reported
  • Social media posts claimed Indonesia's national flag tore at the National Monument (Monas) ahead of Independence Day.
  • Fact-checking revealed the incident occurred in October 2025 during a rehearsal, not before the 2026 Independence Day.
  • The flag was replaced, and the material was later adjusted after the strong winds caused it to split.

A viral social media claim that Indonesia's national flag tore at the National Monument (Monas) ahead of the 81st Independence Day has been debunked.

Posts circulating on Facebook, Instagram, and Threads showed footage of a large flag on the Monas flagpole splitting in two, with the red portion falling to the ground while the white portion remained attached. Users claimed this happened just before the August 15, 2026, Independence Day celebrations.

The verification showed that the flag-splitting incident at Monas occurred in 2025, not 2026.

— Tempo Fact CheckThe conclusion of the fact-checking investigation into the viral social media claim.

However, a fact-check by Tempo found that the incident actually occurred on October 2, 2025, during a dress rehearsal for an event. Strong winds were cited as the cause for the flag tearing. Multiple national media outlets reported on the event at the time, and video footage subsequently went viral.

Following the incident, the flag was successfully re-hoisted during another rehearsal the next day, October 3, 2025, despite continued strong winds. The Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) Information Center confirmed the event and stated that adjustments were later made to the flag material. The claim is therefore misleading as it misrepresents the timing of the event.

The Indonesian flag was raised again during a subsequent dress rehearsal on Friday, October 3, 2025. The flag flew without disruption despite persistent strong winds.

— Brigadier General (Marine) Freddy ArdianzahHead of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) Information Center, confirming the flag was replaced and flew successfully.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Tempo in Indonesian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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