Abu Janda Faces Police Report Over SARA-Related Hate Speech

The Minangkabau Family Association (IKM) has reported social media activist Permadi Arya, known as Abu Janda, over alleged SARA-related hate speech. Defrizal Djamaris, IKM’s Deputy Chair for Legal and Human Rights, stated the report was filed because Abu Janda’s remarks were deemed to have offended the people of West Sumatra, particularly the Minangkabau ethnic group. The contested statement by Abu Janda addressed intolerance. In it, he referred to Muslims in West Java and West Sumatra as ‘hardline’, then rhetorically expressed confusion over why regions ending in ‘ar’ (Jabar and Sumbar) had many ‘barbarians’. ‘There are specific words attacking or spreading hate speech against a particular ethnic group, namely the people of West Sumatra, who are predominantly Minangkabau,’ he told reporters on Tuesday (26 May). ‘He stated that regions with ’bar-bar’ suffixes—Sumbar and Jabar—were labelled as intolerant, implying their inhabitants are barbaric,’ he added. Citing the Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI), Defrizal noted the term ‘barbar’ carries negative connotations of being uncivilised, cruel, and lacking in culture. Abu Janda’s remarks were seen as deeply offensive to the Minangkabau community. Defrizal added that West Sumatrans uphold high levels of inter-ethnic and inter-religious tolerance. ‘We fear certain parties may be trying to stir unrest by inciting ethnic or religious discord across Indonesia,’ he explained. Defrizal said the report aims to prevent vigilante actions against Abu Janda, urging police to thoroughly investigate the case so he can be held accountable under the law. ‘We are concerned about vigilante acts, hence we trust the legal process to handle this,’ he said. ‘We hope the police will process this transparently, professionally, and proportionately to address public concerns,’ he added. The report against Abu Janda was registered under case number LP/B/230/V/2026/SPKT/Bareskrim Polri on 26 May 2026. In the report, Abu Janda is suspected of violating Article 242 of Law No. 1/2023 on the Criminal Code, which addresses the dissemination of information inciting hate against specific groups. Regarding the report, Abu Janda stated he never insulted West Sumatra’s residents. ‘I did not insult the people of Sumbar,’ Abu Janda told CNN Indonesia on Wednesday (27 May). According to Abu Janda, if the accusers already dislike him, anything he does could be perceived as an insult. ‘But if people already hate Abu Janda, it’s difficult—even if I don’t insult, it’s still seen as insulting,’ he said.