“Leave the beer alone” was the simple message given Monday to residents of Indonesia’s capital Jakarta, as police warned drinkers off alcohol for the Ramadan fasting month.

To reinforce the crackdown, police destroyed about 18,000 bottles of bootleg alcohol with a steamroller in the Muslim-majority country’s most populous city.

Police laid out thousands of bottles collected in raids over the past few months for the symbolic show which came despite the fact alcohol is legal in the country.

Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan called on residents to avoid circulating illegal liquor.

“The job of the community is to reduce demand,” he said at the booze-crushing event near the city’s national monument. “But no matter how much supply is reduced, it’s tough if there is still demand.”

Alcohol is typically forbidden for Muslims at any time of the year, but about 90 percent of Indonesia’s 270 million people follow a moderate form of Islam and alcohol is available at bars and nightclubs in major cities and holiday destinations such as Bali.

Many entertainment spots are closed during Ramadan, including in Jakarta.

AFP contributed to this story