A rider and his pillion passenger smashed through razor-wire barricades installed by the Indonesian police to block protesters that are against the new labour law.

The riders were assisted by other motorcyclists and the police guarding the road. The rider's shirt was entangled with the wires which had to be cut out but he was not seriously injured.

The barricades were placed near the government office in Palu City, North Sulawesi province to prevent the riots from closing in on October 12.

Onlooker Ifa Mattuju, said the incident occurred after the protest was over. She said: "The rider is probably not concentrating. She said she didn't see any razor wire there."

The police took the rider and his pillion to a nearby hospital where their cuts were treated. Riots and protests have spread in Indonesia in the last week following anger over controversial new employment laws passed by the government.