Hundreds of students met across various cities in Indonesia on Monday, defying fears of a crackdown after deadly riots on the weekend left eight dead in the worst violence witnessed in the country in more than two decades.

At least 500 people gathered outside the Indonesia parliament in Jakarta on Monday afternoon as dozens of police officers closely monitored proceedings. Initially, soldiers were also present but left the scene after several hours.

Thousands more gathered to express their displeasure in Palembang on Sumatra island and hundreds protested in Banjarmasin on Borneo island, Yogyakarta on the main island of Java and Makassar on Sulawesi island, according to the news agency AFP.

What sparked the protests in Indonesia?

Unrest was sparked a week ago after the government enhanced perks for lawmakers.

The deadly protests, which began over lawmaker housing allowances nearly 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta, have forced Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto and parliament leaders to make a U-turn over the measures.

Protests began peacefully, but turned violent against the nation's elite paramilitary police unit after footage showed one of its teams running over 21-year-old delivery driver Affan Kurniawan late Thursday.

Unrest has since spread from the Indonesian capital of Jakarta to other major cities.

President Subianto has since revoked some of the perks for lawmakers. In response to the crisis, he canceled his attendance at the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit in China.

How have authorities reacted?

Police set up checkpoints across Jakarta on Monday, while officers and the military conducted city-wide patrols and deployed snipers in key locations.

The protest have hit the financial markets, with the stock market falling more than 3% in opening trades on Monday, before recovering some ground.

Edited by: Saim Dušan Inayatullah