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

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 (2005-20u), 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.