Membongkar Jejaring Buzzer Penebar Kebencian Rohingya | Buka Mata

Summary

In March 2024, a tragic incident involving Rohingya refugees in West Aceh highlighted the perils faced by this community. Of 149 passengers, only 75 survived. The UN called it the worst incident for Rohingya refugees in Southeast Asia in modern times. However, the tragedy was met with online hatred and disinformation, particularly on social media, where disinformation campaigns fueled negative sentiment. Analysis of 15,000 posts and 3,700 TikTok videos revealed organized hate speech and a coordinated effort to spread disinformation. This online vitriol translated into real-world actions, with incidents of rejection and violence against the refugees. The script explores the role of social media in amplifying hate and its potential to influence public opinion and actions, suggesting that the Rohingya issue was politicized during the 2024 presidential election.

Takeaways

• 🚨 On March 20, 2024, a boat carrying Rohingya refugees sank off West Aceh, with only 75 of 149 passengers surviving, marking a tragic incident labeled by the UN as the worst for Rohingya refugees in modern Southeast Asia.
• 🌐 The incident sparked a wave of disinformation and hate speech on social media, particularly targeting the Rohingya community.
• 🔍 A collaborative analysis of 15,000 social media posts and over 3,700 TikTok videos revealed a systematic spread of hateful disinformation, indicating organized efforts to incite negativity towards the Rohingya.
• 📈 Google Trends data showed a significant increase in public interest and discourse around the Rohingya issue, with peaks in 2015 and 2017 due to refugee arrivals and the Myanmar junta's actions, respectively.
• 📊 Post-incident sentiment analysis showed a drastic shift in public opinion, with nearly 80% of social media comments on the Rohingya being negative.
• 📱 The study identified TikTok as a primary source for spreading disinformation, with certain influencers, like Adi Syahreza and Ali Hamza, playing a significant role in amplifying hate content.
• 🤖 Evidence of inorganic commenting patterns, such as synchronized use of slang and comment spikes at unusual hours, suggested the involvement of bots and coordinated efforts to manipulate public sentiment.
• 🗳️ The Rohingya issue was politicized, with the analysis suggesting a connection between the spread of hate content and the 2024 Indonesian presidential election, potentially using the refugee crisis as a campaign tool.
• 🌐 The report highlighted the global pattern of using anti-immigrant rhetoric in political campaigns, drawing parallels with past strategies in the US, UK, and Germany.
• ⚠️ The script concludes with a warning about the potential for online hate narratives to escalate into real-world actions, emphasizing the need for monitoring and mitigation to prevent further harm.

Q & A

What was the tragic incident involving Rohingya refugees in West Aceh on March 20, 2024?

On March 20, 2024, a boat carrying Rohingya refugees sank off the coast of West Aceh. Out of 149 passengers, only 75 survived, while the rest were lost at sea. The UN stated that this was the worst incident for Rohingya refugees in Southeast Asia in the modern era.

How did some people respond to the Rohingya refugee issue?

The Rohingya refugee issue was met with hatred by some individuals, as evidenced by disinformation and hate speech on social media platforms.

What was the focus of the social media analysis conducted by the research team?

The research team analyzed 15,000 posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and over 3,700 videos on TikTok to understand the spread of hateful disinformation and netizen sentiment regarding the Rohingya issue.

What were the anomalies found in the digital analytics and field investigations related to the Rohingya case?

Anomalies included organized hate speech, likely generated by bots, and a significant increase in negative content and engagement on social media platforms, indicating a shift from online comments to real-world actions.

How did the public sentiment towards Rohingya refugees change over time according to Google trend data?

Google trend data showed that public sentiment towards Rohingya refugees was initially positive, with surges in 2015 and 2017 due to news of their arrival and Myanmar's junta purges. However, from November to December of the previous year, the sentiment turned negative.

What was the percentage of negative public sentiment against the Rohingya found in the Twitter data collected from January to March?

The Twitter data collected from January to March showed that almost 80% of the public sentiment was negative against the Rohingya.

What were some of the disinformation claims about Rohingya refugees that circulated on social media?

Disinformation claims included accusations that Rohingya refugees would colonize Indonesia, were responsible for riot destruction in Sidoarjo, and that UNHCR was facilitating human trafficking.

How did the use of Indonesian slang words like 'aja' in comments on social media indicate an organized response?

The high use of Indonesian slang words like 'aja', which rarely appear as keywords in social media analytics, suggested that the comments were organized and likely generated by bots, indicating a coordinated effort.

What role did TikTok play in the spread of disinformation and hate speech against the Rohingya?

TikTok was identified as a primary source for spreading disinformation and hate speech against the Rohingya, with over 3,700 videos collected during the specified period, reaching more than 1.1 billion views.

Which two macro-influencers were found to be intensively spreading demonization against the Rohingya ethnic group on TikTok?

Two macro-influencers who intensively spread demonization against the Rohingya were Adi Syahreza and Ali Hamza, with their content garnering millions of views and engagements.

How did the social media narrative and disinformation potentially influence real-world actions against Rohingya refugees?

The intense and unmitigated spread of hate propaganda on social media likely contributed to real-world actions against Rohingya refugees, as seen in incidents of forced evictions and mass mobilization against them.

Outlines

00:00

🚨 Rohingya Refugee Tragedy and Online Hate Speech

On March 20, 2024, a boat carrying Rohingya refugees sank off West Aceh, resulting in only 75 survivors out of 149 passengers. The UN called it the worst incident for Rohingya refugees in Southeast Asia in modern history. However, the tragedy was met with hateful responses on social media, with disinformation and hate speech igniting further animosity. A three-month social media campaign analyzed 15,000 posts and over 3,700 TikTok videos, revealing organized hate and disinformation. Digital analytics and field investigations showed anomalies in both digital and real-world responses to the Rohingya case, with organized online hatred translating into real-world actions. Google trend data showed a surge in public interest in 2015 and 2017, with a more negative shift in late 2023. Public sentiment on Twitter turned largely negative, with a significant increase in content and engagement from November to February 2024, coinciding with the presidential election. Disinformation campaigns accused Rohingya refugees of various crimes, and videos of their rejection went viral, indicating a shift from online to offline hostility.

05:02

📊 Analyzing Social Media's Role in Rohingya Disinformation

The analysis of social media content revealed that the majority of comments on Rohingya-related posts were made within the first day of publication, with a suspicious drop at 7 p.m. and 8 a.m., suggesting shift working hours for those generating comments. A heatmap of 50,000 comments showed unusual activity patterns, including a concentration of comments during midnight to early morning hours, indicative of bot activity. TikTok was identified as a primary source of disinformation, with over 3,700 videos analyzed for reach, engagement, and other parameters. The videos with the Rohingya hashtag garnered over 1.1 billion views, highlighting the platform's significant engagement potential. The spread of information was largely through micro-influencer accounts, with some macro-influencers like Adi Syahreza and Ali Hamza playing a significant role in demonizing the Rohingya. Time frame analysis of comments on their videos showed anomalies suggesting coordinated bot activity and repeated use of specific phrases to embed hidden messages.

10:03

🗣️ The Amplification of Hate Speech Across Platforms

The cross-platform dynamics showed that TikTok often initiated content amplification, which was then picked up by Twitter. Social network analysis revealed that anonymous fanbase accounts played a significant role in amplifying hate content on Twitter. Political figures like Prabowo Subianto's statements against Rohingya refugees were massively amplified on social media, coinciding with spikes in conversation volume. The narrative against Rohingya refugees was used as a campaign topic by various political supporters, including those of Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, indicating a broader politicization of the issue. The analysis suggests that the Rohingya issue was made into a political commodity during the 2024 presidential election, with immigration and refugee issues being a common campaign tool, as seen in other countries like the US, UK, and Germany.

15:04

🌐 The Real-World Impact of Online Hate Propaganda

The narrative of hatred against the Rohingya spread almost simultaneously across various social media platforms, indicating an organized and systematic campaign. The real-world impact of this online hate propaganda was evident in the mass mobilization against Rohingya refugees, with reports suggesting that the eviction actions were not initiated by local residents but by others. The spread of hate was likely intentional, and without mitigation, it could lead to real actions, as seen in the forced eviction of Rohingya refugees. The analysis across platforms shows that the demonization of the Rohingya was widespread and could potentially strengthen racial supremacy and ignite further animosity, highlighting the need for responsible management of such issues to prevent escalation.

Keywords

💡Rohingya refugees

Rohingya refugees refer to a group of stateless people from the Rakhine State in Myanmar who have been subjected to persecution and violence, leading to a mass exodus. In the video, the tragic incident of a boat sinking with Rohingya refugees near West Aceh is highlighted, emphasizing the humanitarian crisis and the plight of these individuals. The script discusses the social media disinformation and hate speech that followed, showing how the narrative around Rohingya refugees was manipulated to incite negative sentiments.

💡Disinformation

Disinformation is false information that is deliberately created and spread with the intent to deceive and mislead. In the context of the video, disinformation is used to describe the spread of false narratives about Rohingya refugees on social media platforms, which contributed to the escalation of hate speech and negative public sentiment. The video script mentions the analysis of social media posts and the role of disinformation in fueling real-world actions against the Rohingya refugees.

💡Hate speech

Hate speech is any form of communication that promotes hatred or violence against individuals or groups based on attributes such as race, religion, or ethnicity. The video discusses how hate speech targeting Rohingya refugees proliferated on social media, leading to an increase in negative sentiment and potentially influencing real-world actions. The script provides examples of disinformation and hate speech that were analyzed, including comments on social media posts and viral videos.

💡Social media analytics

Social media analytics involves the measurement, analysis, and interpretation of data from social media platforms to understand public sentiment, trends, and the spread of information. The video script describes how the analysis of 15,000 posts and over 3,700 videos on various platforms revealed the spread of disinformation and hate speech, as well as the organized nature of the comments, suggesting the involvement of bots and coordinated campaigns.

💡Digital analytics

Digital analytics is the process of collecting, analyzing, and reporting on usage statistics of websites and web applications. In the video, digital analytics are used to identify anomalies in the digital sphere, such as the sudden surge in negative content and engagement related to the Rohingya issue. The script mentions the collaboration with Monas Data and Democracy Research Hub to analyze netizen sentiment and the spread of disinformation.

💡TikTok

TikTok is a social media platform known for its short-form videos. In the context of the video, TikTok is identified as a primary source for spreading disinformation and hate speech against the Rohingya refugees. The script discusses the collection of over 3,700 videos with diverse hashtags, which were analyzed for their reach, engagement, and the role they played in amplifying negative sentiments.

💡Influencers

Influencers are individuals who have the power to affect the purchasing decisions of others because of their authority, knowledge, position, or relationship with their audience. The video script highlights how certain influencers, both micro and macro, played a significant role in spreading disinformation and hate speech against the Rohingya refugees. The engagement and viewership numbers of their content are used as evidence of their influence on public opinion.

💡Bot activity

Bot activity refers to the actions performed by automated software programs or 'bots' on social media platforms, often used to manipulate public opinion or spread disinformation. The video discusses the suspicion of bot activity in the form of coordinated comments and the use of specific slang words, indicating an organized effort to spread hate speech against the Rohingya refugees.

💡Shift change

Shift change in the context of the video refers to the pattern of comment activity on social media posts, suggesting that the commentators may be working in shifts, similar to a work schedule. The script describes an anomaly in comment activity, with a sharp drop in comments during typical working hours, indicating a possible organized effort behind the spread of disinformation.

💡Cross-platform dynamics

Cross-platform dynamics involve the interaction and influence of content across different social media platforms. The video script analyzes how content initially posted on TikTok was amplified and then spread to other platforms like Twitter, influencing public sentiment and discourse. This cross-platform analysis helps to understand the coordinated efforts to spread disinformation and hate speech against the Rohingya refugees.

💡Political commodity

A political commodity refers to an issue or topic that is used by politicians or political parties to gain support or manipulate public opinion for electoral gains. The video suggests that the Rohingya issue was used as a political commodity in the 2024 presidential election, with certain candidates and their supporters amplifying negative sentiments against the Rohingya refugees to gain political advantage.

Highlights

Hundreds of Rohingya refugees were found adrift in the waters of West Aceh after their boat sank.

Out of 149 passengers, only 75 survived, marking a tragic loss.

The UN called it the worst incident for Rohingya refugees in Southeast Asia in the modern era.

The tragedy was met with hatred by some, as seen in disinformation and hate speech on social media.

A campaign organized on social media is changing the paradigm of the Rohingya issue.

15,000 posts on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter were analyzed regarding the Rohingya issue.

Over 3,700 videos on TikTok were collected, suspected as a main source of spreading hatred.

Collaboration with Monas Data and Democracy Research Hub to analyze netizen sentiment and disinformation.

Digital analytics and field investigations in Aceh revealed anomalies in both digital and real worlds.

Organized hatred that began online has now materialized into real-world actions.

Google trend data shows a surge in public interest in the Rohingya topic, particularly in 2015 and 2017.

Public sentiment on Twitter turned negative against the Rohingya after a spike in December.

Content and mentions about Rohingya refugees surged from November to February by 313%.

Disinformation on social media is dominated by claims such as Rohingya colonizing Indonesia and being responsible for riots.

Viral videos on social media depict extreme acts of rejection against Rohingya refugees.

Analysis of UN Instagram comments shows a high percentage of hate speech, possibly generated by bots.

TikTok is identified as the origin of disinformation content that is then spread to other platforms.

Engagement on TikTok for Rohingya-related content is significantly higher than on other platforms.

Influencers with a large following played a significant role in spreading anti-Rohingya sentiment.

Cross-platform dynamics show that TikTok often initiates content amplification, followed by Twitter.

The Rohingya issue was used as a campaign topic in the 2024 presidential election, potentially as a political commodity.

The pattern of using immigration or refugee issues in election campaigns is a global phenomenon.

If not managed wisely, the Rohingya issue could fuel racial supremacy and ignite hatred.

Transcripts

March 20, 2024

Hundreds of Rohingya refugees were found

adrift in the waters of West Aceh

after the boat they were on sank.

Out of 149 passengers,

only 75 people survived and made it to the mainland.

The rest died and were lost at sea.

The UN stated

that the incident was the worst incident

for Rohingya refugees in Southeast Asia

in the modern era.

Tragically, this issue

was responded to with hatred

by some people.

Just look at the following comments.

Disinformation and

and hate speech on social media

into embers that continue to ignite.

We dig deeper at this phenomenon.

And just under three months,

campaign organized on social media

is changing that paradigm.

We analyzed 15,000 posts on Facebook,

Instagram, and Twitter

talking about Rohingya issue.

We also collected over

3,700 videos on TikTok,

which is suspected to be

the main source of spreading hatred.

Together with the Monas Data

and Democracy Research Hub,

we collaborated to analyze netizen sentiment,

and the spread of increasingly hateful disinformation.

From digital analytics

and field investigations in Aceh that we do

there's some anomalies going on

either in the digital sphere

or the real world.

The Rohingya case is a small example;

organized hatred that initially existed only

in the comments section,

now turned into real action.

Google trend data for the last 10 years

this could be a picture to see

the enthusiasm of our people towards

Rohingya refugees topic.

You can see the surge

in June 2015,

this is due to

news of the arrival of hundreds of ethnic Rohingya in Aceh

after failing to Malaysia.

This refugee issue rose again in 2017

as Myanmar's junta purges

ethnic Rohingya in Rakhine province

which has become an international spotlight.

After that, the Rohingya issue became

much less prominent.

And from November to December of last year,

Rohingya refugees back in the spotlight.

If examined more deeply

these two initial surges were addressed positively

support for the Rohingya,

whether it's from mass media or social media.

But the recent spike put the public perspective

it changed in an instant.

Rohingya sentiment data on Twitter

after the spike in December

could serve as a small illustration of that change.

Data collected from January

to March

this shows

public perspective almost 80%

are negative against the Rohingya.

We did chcrolling through some hashtags

and keywords

through various social media platforms.

This data set was collected

on November 15, 2023 or the day

after the arrival of the group

first Rohingya refugees in Aceh

on November 14, 2023.

While these datasets are collected up to February 14, 2024

when the presidential election was held.

We saw a significant spike in content and mentions

from November to February

total reached

1.08 million.

Compared to the previous period

this number goes up

to 313%

as well as in engagement.

If seen the numbers continue

to soar even as high as 2,300%.

from 2.37 million

to 57.7 million.

Massive publications comments

and negatively sentimental content

on the ethical Rohingya

this has resulted in several incidents.

The problem is the contents is

dominated by disinformation.

For example the Rohingya

will colonize Indonesia,

accused as the perpetrator of riot destruction in Sidoarjo,

accused UNHCR of

facilitating trafficking in persons.

Do you remember this viral video?

When Rohingya refugees are being driven out

and barred from landing.

Or this video?

Where several students forcibly evicted

Rohingya refugees from a temporary shelter.

It could be said that this is the most extreme

act of rejection compared to previous ones.

If we look deeper,

before this action took place,

the rejection of Rohingya refugees

had already begun

on social media.

Three uploads on this UN Instagram account so for example.

We did text analysis of the three posts.

Out of a total of 54,000 comments

on that post, 91% of them

contain hate speech.

What is most unique is

the high use of Indonesian slang words

like "aja", which rarely

appear as keywords in social media analytics.

The simultaneous use of “aja”

indicates that the comments are

organized and likely generated by bots.

Other than that

95% of people

who saw posts of Rohingya refugees

not a follower account UN Indonesia.

These uploads average out to

268,000 people

who are not followers

and only gets

about 579 shares

per upload,

far from the normal ratio of 1:10.

Our allegations

the commentators received a direct link

and asked to post negative comments

about UNHCR.

Other findings are strong evidence

of comments on content

it looks inorganic.

This is the daily data of

when the comment was made.

You can see

almost 99% of comments are made in the day

first after the content is published.

After that drastically plummeted

and ramped in the following days.

Advanced analysis see hours of comments

on that peak day.

All comment set data converted to WIB.

So, the unusual thing

is the sharp drop at 7 p.m.

It was a rush hour moment

that should be crowded

full of comments.

The same decline also occurred at 8.00 am

cycle up and down these peaks

always last 8 hours

similar to like shift working hours.

It could be that these two moments

are shift change time

those who work to enliven these contents.

Another anomaly appears on larger data sets

50,000 comments.

We create clusters based on comment time clock

on 9 days where

the massive comments happen.

That data is processed into a

hitmap to facilitate visual analysis.

This is the comment clock,

and this is the date of those peak days.

Observe these boxes.

The denser the color,

the higher the number of comments.

From this heatmap,

we find several anomalies.

The decreased intensity in the morning,

similar to the pattern in previous content,

also happened here.

In addition,

the comment activity is often seen

concentrated at midnight

to early morning hours.

For example on the 6th when the peak day happened.

The increase in comments starts from 12.00 to 3.00 am.

This anomaly is beyond typical human activity,

as people are usually asleep during these hours.

When asked where disinformation content

comes from it originated

TikTok is the answer.

Thrown on TikTok,

then replicated and deployed

to various other platforms,

like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

We collected over 3,700 videos

with diverse hashtags

in the November 15, 2023 - January 31, 2024.

We also store

the dataset parameters

on each video,

as the number of reach,

comment, reply, reaction,

engagement, and views.

Contents with the hashtag Rohingya watched

more than 1.1 billion views.

The attraction of engagement on TikTok

is huge. In simple terms,

engagement is feedback

or two-way communication.

When content is published,

the audience will respond.

Whether it's through like,

share or comment.

You can see from this chart.

This is data engagement,

that we collect from

different platforms social media.

And the emergence of TikTok is

very far away and unequal

to other platform platforms.

Approximately 3,700 videos were created

by around 1,500 unique accounts. We classify accounts

this is based on the number of followers.

Starting at less than 100 to more than 100,000 followers.

You can see this pie chart,

role accounts with followers under 100

only reach 2%.

The majority of Rohingya information on TikTok

spread by micro-influencer accounts,

which are accounts with followers

ranging from 1,000 to 100,000.

The remaining 17% is

amplified by macro-influencer accounts

with followers over 100,000.

Two macro-influencers who

intensively spread demonization

against the Rohingya ethnic group.

They are Adi Syahreza and Ali Hamza.

Adi intensively produced content

from December 3 to 9, 2023.

"This Rohingya refugee

just arrived and is already asking

asking for an island."

He was able to garner 27 million views

and 2.4 million engagements.

Now, Adi has removed the Rohingya-related

content from his TikTok account.

Unlike Adi, Ali achieved even more,

getting 43 million views and 3.4 million engagements.

We found one thing

interesting from content made Ali.

We collected 21,000 comments on this video

to see this anomaly up close.

We do time frame analysis

when comments occur.

This graphics shows a typical constant comment time

up and down in

a short period of time.

There are moments when

people are commenting a lot, then it goes quiet,

then commenting again, then silence, so on.

Another finding is that

there are around 80 moments when

dozens of different accounts

post comments simultaneously

at the same time.

There is a strong suspicion

that these are bots.

An interesting finding is that out

of the 21,000 comments, nearly 20 percent consistently

contain the phrases "Bubarkan" and "UNHCR"

as if these words and phrases need to be repeatedly used

to embed a hidden message.

Whether Ali is aware of this data anomaly or not,

it is clear that we have also found this

phenomenon in other

Rohingya-related videos.

These points strengthen

the possibility of active engagement

and discussion on this platform.

Hate propaganda against the Rohingya is

not only resonating on TikTok.

It is eventually spread to

noisier platforms to draw public

and political elite attention.

This is a graph showing the cross-platform

dynamics of daily content volume on

Twitter and TikTok from November 20,

to December 31.

From this analysis it looks that

TikTok often starts content amplification first

on some dates in late November

and at the end of December.

But Twitter also has important role

in starting a conversation on some other dates.

The results of our SNA (social network analysis)

dataset that we processed,

found that the amplification of hate content against

the Rohingya on Twitter is dominated

by anonymous fanbase accounts,

such as Sosmed Keras (@sosmedkeras) and

Kegoblogan.Unfaedah (@kgblgnunfaedh).

Drone Emprit reveals that the

opposing Rohingya refugees is

actually smaller than those supporting.

But the impact is huge in increasing

conversation volume on Twitter.

After experiencing a drastic increase

on December 8, 2023, the volume of

conversations about the Rohingya

on Twitter has tended to plateau.

However, on December 26, 2023,

the numbers surged, coinciding with

Prabowo's campaign in Aceh.

"But of course, we must prioritize

our own people's interests and our national interests,

as there are still many of our people who are living in hardship."

Prabowo's statement was then massively amplified

on TikTok and Twitter.

This upward trend can be seen

in this line chart.

On Twitter, the information was triggered by a post from @sosmedkeras.

Besides always rejecting Rohingya refugees,

this account is also monitored always promote Prabowo.

From then on escalation on social media is increasing.

The peak two days later when students in Banda Aceh

evicted Rohingya refugees of refugee camp.

The accusation that this issue was carried by Prabowo

supporters is based on the accounts of large

influencers who reject Rohingya and indeed

dominated by Prabowo supporters.

In a coordination group managed by the PartaiSocmed account,

for example, the Rohingya issue

became a campaign topic that needed to be spread.

However, this accusation is not entirely true,

because supporters Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo

also did anti-Rohingya propaganda.

On TikTok for example, there is the account kristiang95.

He became the creator of the most demonized content

ethnic Rohingya.

There were 111 pieces of content he created in two months.

Upon closer examination, it turns out that he is

a supporter of Ganjar Pranowo.

What sets this account apart from others is that,

despite the high quantity of posts,

the engagement this Ganjar supporter received was very low.

The engagement rate per post was only 15 comments per content,

which does not align with the number of followers he has.

From your observation, Mrs. Ika, is the narrative

conversation negative sentiments that are on social media

it's gonna be able drive people in real action?

At some point, it could happen.

especially since this has already made it into the mass media,

and there are viral videos.

We shouldn't let

conversations on social media

end up pushing people who were indifferent,

maybe they already a feeling of displeasure,

a feeling of discomfort,

but we shouldn't let social media conversations

become a trigger for action.

Now, in my opinion, here's the thing.

Usually, we also have to monitor the intensity.

So, if it becomes very intense and doesn't stop,

it usually leads to action.

However, if it's quickly addressed,

perhaps by local officials or local activists,

the intensity will decrease.

If it happens again, and it's addressed again,

the intensity will decrease.

So what we need to maintain is making sure

that the intensity doesn’t keep escalating without

any action to mitigate it.

The narrative of hatred that has spread

and lack of mitigation efforts

making the rejection of the Rohingya not only limited

reality in cyberspace but has turned into real action.

Tempo report exposing what really happened

on Wednesday, December 27, 2024,

the day of the eviction action forced against Rohingya refugees occurred.

Tempo finds there is mass mobilization in the refusal of Rohingya refugees.

We went to Aceh to take a closer look at the suspected

mobilization of masses rejecting Rohingya refugees

when they were stranded on Aceh's coast.

But was it the local residents here who told they [Rohingya refugees] to leave?

No.

Oh, it wasn't the locals?

No, it was someone else who told them to leave.

So the locals here didn't actually tell them to go?

No, they didn’t. They didn’t dare to.

So you don’t know them, right? If it were someone from your village,

you would recognize them.

Yes, that’s right.

It was crowded. There were a lot of people from the police station.

Oh, people from the police station? Were they on motorcycles? Or cars?

Cars.

But not everyone was wearing police or military uniforms?

No, they were in regular clothes.

At that time, I was sitting here.

I couldn't bear to see those people [the Rohingya refugees].

Can't bear to see it?

Yes. It’s sad, they are God’s servants.

I don’t know who told them to leave.

I don’t know.

I don't know.

But it definitely wasn’t people from around here.

Many people came from the surrounding villages.

So the village around has come but just look at it?

Just look at it.

Our analysis across various social media platforms shows

ethnic Rohingya demonization spread almost simultaneously.

This indicates spreading hate was probably done intentionally,

organized, and systematic.

The massive attack that started in November

and peaked in December 2023 raises allegations

that the Rohingya issue is made a political commodity

in the 2024 presidential election contestation.

"I guess you have to stop first, all immigrants from

Rohingya brought instability there."

Especially the debate geopolitical presidential election in early January 2024.

This conjecture is getting stronger with the rise of accounts

accounts that are openly counter to the Rohingya

and associate themselves as a supporter of one

of the presidential candidates.

The pattern of using immigration or refugee issues

in the election contestation is nothing new.

In the United States, Trump often uses anti-immigrant policies

as an agenda main in his campaign.

In the UK, the Brexit campaign was heavily influenced

by anti-immigrant rhetoric,

emphasizing the threat of immigrants to jobs and national identity.

In Germany, right wing parties like the AfD

gained support with anti-immigrant narratives about the Middle East.

If not managed wisely,

the Rohingya issue could strengthen racial supremacy

ignite the coals in their hearts

who feel more entitled than

the refugees living in suffering.