Coordinated online push amplifies President Prabowo's 'londo ireng' remarks
Fact-checkers uncovered a network of over 300 accounts that flooded social media with pro-Prabowo messages after his speech labeling NGOs and journalists as “londo ireng.”
President Prabowo Subianto’s accusation that NGOs, journalists and researchers were “londo ireng” triggered a large-scale online amplification effort identified by Tempo’s fact-checking team. Starting on July 25, 2026, more than 300 accounts posted roughly 1,210 pro-government messages across X, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, employing hashtags like #LondoIreng, #JanganGagalPaham and #LoyalitasUntukBangsa. The posts echoed official clarifications from the Ministry of Communication and Digital, the Human Rights Ministry and the Government Communications Agency, which described the term as a political metaphor rather than a direct attack.
Similar coordinated activity followed Prabowo’s later statements on Iran’s nuclear capabilities and an erroneous claim about onion-peeler wages. Experts from the London School of Public Relations and Airlangga University described the effort as a brand-repair strategy aimed at mitigating negative public perception of the president’s speeches.
Why it matters
It shows how political leaders can use coordinated online campaigns to shape public perception of controversial statements.
In this story
Related stories
17 in this thread