inp.polri.go.id - Jakarta. The Batam-Rempang-Galang (Barelang) Sub-regional Police reaffirmed their commitment to prosecuting all forms of hate speech, provocation, and content containing ethnic, religious, racial, and intergroup (SARA) nuances spread through social media.

Barelang Sub-regional Police Chief, Senior Superintendent Anggoro Wicaksono, made this statement during the disclosure of an alleged hate speech case against the Malay ethnic group.

"We never tire of urging the public to be wise in using social media. Every comment or post on social media should not cause unrest, division, be hate speech, or be provocative," Anggoro said on Tuesday (6/3/2026).

He emphasized that actions containing elements of insult or hatred toward certain groups are not simply a matter of social ethics but can lead to criminal proceedings.

"Whoever commits hate speech will be prosecuted according to the applicable legal process," said Anggoro.

On the same occasion, the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Barelang Sub-regional Police arrested a man identified as RS, suspected of spreading hate speech against the Malay ethnic group via Facebook.

The Head of the Criminal Investigation Unit of the Barelang Sub-regional Police, Police Assistant Superintendent M. Debby Tri Andrestian, explained that the case began on Saturday evening (5/30/2026) when someone saw a post containing a screenshot of a comment from RS's Facebook account.

In the comment, the perpetrator allegedly wrote a sentence deemed insulting and offensive to the Malay community. Following up on the report, the police immediately investigated and successfully identified the account owner.

RS was then detained at a boarding house in the Muka Kuning area, Batu Aji District.

For his actions, RS was charged under Article 242 of Law Number 1 of 2023 concerning the Criminal Code regarding the spread of hatred or hostility towards community groups with a maximum prison sentence of three years.

(ad/ndt/pr/rs)