Bangkalan Youth Arrested By Police For Provocation And Hate Speech Insulting Suramadu

SURABAYA - A young man from Bangkalan, Madura was arrested by the police for spreading hate speech related to the blocking of the Suramadu Bridge. The perpetrator with the initials UF (28) was arrested by the Team of the Directorate of East Java Special Criminal Investigation Police.

"This UF perpetrator has made hate speech, and invited the public to fight against the government's efforts to deal with COVID-19 when there was a blockage in Suramadu", said Head of Public Relations of the East Java Police, Kombes Gatot Repli Handoko in Surabaya, Thursday, June 24.

Gatot said the UF perpetrators carried out their actions through WhatsApp on June 22, 2021. At that time there had been several demonstrations, up to the destruction of the isolation post in Suramadu.

"After being investigated, the UF perpetrator admitted that he was just joining in", he said.

Gatot regretted what UF had done to provoke others. The reason is that currently cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia, especially in East Java, are increasing.

"In the Madura area, especially in Bangkalan, it is increasing. The East Java Provincial Government and the Regional Police are making efforts, including conducting insulation to suppress the spread. However, in the midst of efforts to prevent it, there are still people who spread it which causes turmoil", he said.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Directorate of East Java Special Criminal Investigation Police, AKBP Zulham Effendy, added that the mode used by UF was to invite people in the Madura region to take action at the Suramadum blockade.

"The perpetrator admitted that he posted it because there was widespread isolation. He posted so that those who read the post would join him", said Zulham.

Zulham said the perpetrators of UF confessed that they were sorry and promised not to repeat the act. "We appeal to the public not to heed the provocative news. We, especially from Directorate of Special Criminal Investigation Police, will continue to carry out patrols", he said.

From this arrest, the police secured evidence of several posts made by UF and one for a cell phone unit. For his actions, UF was charged with Article 45 A paragraph 2 of the Electronic Information and Transactions Law (ITE) Number 19 of 2016 with a threat of 6 years in prison.