Identifying Hate Speech Trends and Prevention in Indonesia: a Cross-Case Comparison

Abstract

This article provides an analysis on Indonesia’s hate speech phenomenon within the past two decades. It identifies shared characteristics across hate speech campaigns and how state and non-state actors have addressed them. In doing so, the article compares three campaigns targeting: the Ahmadiyya (2005–2011), Shi’a (2006–2012) and Jakarta’s Chinese Christian Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (2016–2017). It finds that despite their unique dynamics, each campaign shared several commonalities. They were enabled by rising religious conservatism, sustained support from politicians, and competition for socio-economic capital; their framing strategy similarly used a threat-to-survival narrative, leveraged state regulations, and involved amplifying their voices through online spaces; and they had similar long-term impact which, despite an absence of mass violence, normalised the deprivation of vulnerable minorities’ fundamental rights.