Abu Janda Responds to Minangkabau Group's Report: 'I Did Not Insult West Sumatra Residents'

Social media activist Permadi Arya, known as Abu Janda, has responded to a report filed by the Minangkabau-linked organisation Ikatan Keluarga Minangkabau (IKM) over alleged hate speech based on ethnicity and religion (SARA). Regarding the report, Abu Janda stated he never insulted the people of West Sumatra. ‘I did not insult West Sumatra’s residents,’ Abu Janda told CNNIndonesia.com on Wednesday (27 May). He added that if the complainant already dislikes him, anything he says could be perceived as insulting. ‘But if they already hate Abu Janda, it’s difficult—even if I don’t insult, it can still be seen as insulting,’ he said. Previously, IKM filed a report against Abu Janda with the Indonesian National Police’s Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim Polri) over suspected SARA-based hate speech. The report was registered under number LP/B/230/V/2026/SPKT/Bareskrim Polri dated 26 May 2026. In the report, Abu Janda is accused of violating Article 242 of Indonesia’s Criminal Code Law No. 1/2023, which covers spreading information inciting hatred towards specific groups. Defrizal Djamaris, IKM’s Deputy Chairman for Law and Human Rights, stated the group filed the report because Abu Janda’s remarks were deemed to have hurt West Sumatra’s Minangkabau community. The controversial statement involved intolerance. Abu Janda reportedly said Muslims in West Java (Jabar) and West Sumatra (Sumbar) are harsh, and rhetorically questioned why regions ending in ‘bar’ have many ‘barbaric’ people. ‘There are specific words attacking or inciting hatred against a particular ethnic group, namely the people of West Sumatra, who are predominantly Minangkabau,’ he told reporters. ‘He mentioned that areas with intolerance are Sumbar and Jabar, with ’bar-bar’ at the end, implying those people are barbaric,’ he added. Referring to the Indonesian Dictionary (KBBI), Defrizal explained that ‘barbar’ carries negative connotations of being uncivilised, cruel, and primitive. He said Abu Janda’s words deeply offended the Minangkabau community, especially as West Sumatra is known for upholding inter-ethnic and inter-religious tolerance. ‘We fear certain parties may be trying to stir tensions by inciting ethnic or religious conflicts across Indonesia,’ he stated.