Hundreds of Demonstrators Urge East Lombok Police to Investigate Alleged Insult Against Regent

Hundreds of people held a demonstration in front of the East Lombok Police headquarters in West Nusa Tenggara. They urged the police to investigate an alleged case of hate speech against East Lombok Regent Haerul Warisin.

According to observations, the protesters, who came from 21 sub-districts across East Lombok, arrived at the police station around 10:00 WITA. They delivered their demands through speeches while carrying various protest paraphernalia.

The crowd demanded firm action from law enforcement officials to arrest the owner of the Facebook account ‘Ika We Lah’, who allegedly posted content containing hate speech and insults directed personally at Regent Haerul Warisin.

The General Coordinator of the protest, Subhan, stated that various community groups had filed reports regarding the case since 17 July. However, to date, the case has not seen any significant progress.

‘This is actually a minor case for the police, who have a cyber team and qualified expertise. Catching a fake account like this should be very easy, taking just 1x24 hours. But it has been almost a month since our report was filed, and the only response has been to ask us to be patient. How long must we be patient?’ Subhan said during his speech on Thursday (6/8/2026).

During the protest, the demonstrators also handed over a document containing their demands to the East Lombok Police for signing. This was intended as a form of guarantee that the police would thoroughly investigate the case.

‘We do not want any unrest in East Lombok. We came peacefully to collect on the police’s promise and to safeguard the dignity of our leader. This is purely a matter of humanity and the self-respect of the people of East Lombok, with no political agenda behind it,’ Subhan added.

The protest was received by East Lombok Police officials, represented by the Head of Operations, Head of Human Resources, and the chiefs of the Intelligence and Security Unit and the Criminal Investigation Unit. They promised to convey the protesters’ demands to the Police Chief for further action.

‘We will convey these demands to our leadership,’ said Head of Operations AKP I Gede Suardika in front of the crowd.