Jokowi Calls for Harsh Actions against Hate Speech Group Saracen

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo alias Jokowi has called on the National Police to take harsh action against anyone linked to hate speech group Saracen. “I have instructed the police to take harsh actions. If any evidence and legal facts are found, they shouldn’t hesitate to arrest [the perpetrators]. If we are not firm, we will be underestimated,” he said yesterday at the national meeting of a mass organization called Pro-Jokowi (Projo) in North Jakarta.

Jokowi attended the event together with the Presidential chief of staff Teten Masduki. “Saracen must be opposed because it divides us. It’s very dangerous. Please use social media for positive things,” he said.

Read: Ministry to Shut Down Saracen after Police Investigation Complete

President Jokowi underlined that Indonesia is a great country with a population of over 250 million. “There are 17,000 islands, 34 provinces and thousands of ethnicities and languages. The country is home to different kinds of people. We are all brothers and sisters,” said Jokowi, who is the adviser of Projo.

The police continue to examine gigabytes of data taken from hard drives and USB flash drives belonging to administrators of Saracen—a hate speech group on Facebook.

Read: Lawmaker: Saracen Backed by Financiers

Investigators are also tracking Saracen’s financial transactions and its alleged consumers.

The National Police Cybercrime Directorate earlier nabbed three hate speech suspects in North Jakarta, West Java and Pekanbaru, Riau Islands.

The police said that Saracen created several Facebook pages, including Saracen News, Saracen Cyber Team and Saracennewscom, garnering some 800,000 followers.

ANTARA