2023 Banda Aceh anti-Rohingya protest

In December 2023, students from various universities in Aceh, Indonesia protested and rioted against Rohingya refugees. The protests took place at the Balee Meuseuraya Hall in Banda Aceh.

Background
The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority from Myanmar who are considered the most persecuted group in the world. They were considered as terrorist by Myanmar junta and fled to other countries, such as Bangladesh, to avoid violence. In Indonesia, Rohingya refugees have arrived since 2015 according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), with more than 1100 arriving in November and December 2023. Most of them are heavily persecuted in Myanmar and escaped via sea journeys, reaching Malaysia and Indonesia. More than 800 arrived again in Indonesia causing the refusal of the Acehnese to accept them due to the lack of government. On 11 December, Gibran Rakabuming Raka commented that the arrival of Rohingya refugees is illegal and invite the government to focus on community welfare first.

On 13 December, Retno Marsudi stated that the Rohingya refugees who landed in Aceh are the victims of human trafficking and people smuggling. Rohingya refugees continued to receive anti-refugees rejection through a misinformation campaign by fake United Nations accounts. KRI Bontang (907) used by the Indonesian Navy repeatedly pushed out ships carrying Rohingya refugees on the grounds of human trafficking. On 26 December, Prabowo Subianto stated that the Indonesian government must pay attention to the interests of the people who still live under welfare rather than Rohingya refugees.

Timeline
On 27 December 2023, hundreds of students from several universities in Aceh, such as Al-Washliyah University, Abulyatama University, Bina Bangsa Getsempena University, and University of Muhammadiyah Aceh, came to Balee Meuseraya Hall in Banda Aceh, by representing Nusantara Student Executive Board. They demanded to meet with the Aceh Regional People's Representative Council and voiced action to reject the Rohingya, causing the women and children to cry. The students later ran to some of the refugees who were doing Salah and caused a commotion that caused several refugees to beg, and they later were detained by officers to prevent further commotion. However, they ran back inside the building and started to kick the refugees' belongings, and threw mineral water bottles at them which caused them to sit on the floor and cry in fear. The students also burned tyres and scuffled with the police chanting to kick and reject the Rohingya in Aceh. The refugees later were led out carrying their belongings in plastic sacks and taken to trucks with the help of police officer. They were moved to Aceh Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights. After moving the refugees, the students danced and celebrated their action in front of the Aceh Regional Office of the Ministry of Law and Human Rights which was recorded and uploaded on social media on 28 December.

Investigation
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees stated that the cause of the protest was the result of a coordinated online campaign containing misinformation, disinformation and hate speech against refugees. They urged the society to double-check all information about Rohingya refugees available online as much of it is false or distorted, with images created by artificial intelligence, and hate speech spread through bot accounts. Della Masrida, a student from Abulyatama University, said that the protest was caused due to the Rohingya coming uninvited to Indonesia and acting like it is their country.

The leader of the protest, Teuku Wariza Aris Munandar, who was a student at Al-Washliyah University, said that he only demanded the deportation of Rohingya. On 28 December 2023, it was revealed that Wariza is affiliated with the Gerindra Party through the Hadi Surya Youth Front which he later stated that the protest had nothing to do with it. Munandar was also revealed to be a former drug convict who was sentenced to two years in prison in September 2022 due to consuming methamphetamine, and added that he had been legally released.

Wariza was allegedly paid 100 to 200 million rupiahs for leading the protest.

Reactions
Many social media users supported the anti-Rohingya protest. However, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) condemned the action and stated that the protest was one of the results of campaigns, misinformation and disinformation, as well as hate speech to attack Rohingya refugees. They also urged the Aceh government and law enforcement to provide protection for refugees, and asylum seekers who handle the matter.

The Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, blamed a surge in human trafficking for the arrival of Rohingya refugees. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia minister, Retno Marsudi, remained silent regarding the incident. The National Human Right Commissioner, Parulian Sihombing, condemned the protests and asked the government and related institutions to guarantee the fate of Rohingya refugees. Mahfud MD responded, saying that during the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Aceh had received aid from all over the world as refugees and questioned why the students now refused to help the Rohingya.

The executive director of ASEAN Studies Center at Gadjah Mada University, Dafri Agussalim, said that there is no need for students to be physically involved. The chair of the Alliance of Independent Journalists, Sasmito, regretted the protest due to the trauma caused to the refugees, especially women and children due to the use of violent acts. This action also resulted in condemnation from civil societies, including from KontraS and 11 women's organizations. The Ulema Deliberation Council of Aceh urged president Joko Widodo to solve the refugee crisis.

One of the refugees, Rohimatun, said that the protest scared her to death and caused her children to catch a fever. Another refugee, Muhammad Syakhi, said that he escaped from Bangladesh to Aceh due to the news that the people were friendly, which apparently was not the case. Muhammad Ridwan said that would be better to stay in Indonesia rather than returning to Bangladesh.

The incident also received coverage from several international media, such as Al Jazeera, Euronews, Reuters, and DW News. Palestinian journalist Hebh Jamal commented about the incident on her Instagram stories and stated that Indonesia has a hypocritical nature due to protests for Palestine's independence but treating refugees with the same hatred as Israel. She also added that Palestine doesn't need support from Indonesians who do not support the liberation and survival of refugees, and later called Indonesian citizens hypocrites. Radar Banjarmasin of Jawa Pos called the student protesters as "neo-fascists".

Aftermath
On 28 December 2023, Mahfud MD moved the 137 Rohingya refugees from Meuseraya Aceh Hall to the Indonesian Red Cross Society and Aceh Foundation Building, with the help of Jusuf Kalla. He also deployed police personnel to maintain the security of Rohingya refugees. On 29 December, the students returned the refugees to Meuseuraya Aceh Hall due to the Ministry of Law and Human Rights not providing adequate facilities. The coordinator of the protest, Teuku Wariza, made an apology and stated that it was infiltrated by provocateurs. He also stated that its original intent was to urge the government and Aceh People's Representative Council (DPRA) to solve the refugee crisis.