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#SurabayaGakWedi: Netizens launch hashtag offensive after Surabaya bombings
Indonesian netizens have again responded to a terrosist attack with resilience by creating hashtags designed to counter the intended effect of the terror attack.
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Police canine units examine the scene following a bomb attack on Surabaya Pentecostal Church (GPPS) on Jl. Arjuna in Surabaya, East Java on Sunday.
A series of blasts, including a suicide bombing, struck churches in Indonesia's second-largest city on Sunday, killing at least 10 people and wounding dozens in the deadliest attack for years in the world's biggest Muslim-majority country. (AFP/Juni Kriswanto)
T
he country was once again hit by a vicious terror attack with the deadly bombings of three churches in Surabaya, East Java, on Sunday morning.
Indonesian netizens have, as previously, responded to the attack with resilience by creating hashtags designed to counter the intended effect of the terror attack.
They have come up with several hashtags to express their thoughts about the incident, such as #BersatuLawanTerorisme (Together we fight terrorism) and #KamiTidakTakutTeroris (We are not afraid of terrorists), which have all been trending on the Indonesian Twittersphere.
Several other popular hashtags are also being used, like #SurabayaWani (Brave Surabaya) or #SurabayaGakWedi (SurabayaNotAfraid), #PrayForSurabaya and #HaramTerorisNgakuIslam (Terrorists are not Islam).
A Twitter user named Eric through his personal account @erick_aka tweeted, “Before becoming a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist or a Hindu, let’s be HUMAN first. Shall we? #BersatuLawanTerorisme”.
Before becoming a Muslim, a Christian, a Buddhist or a Hindu, let's be HUMAN first. Shall we? We came into the world like brother and sister, and now let's go hand in hand, not one before another. Deepest condolences for victims in Surabaya's bombing. #BersatuLawanTerorisme
— erick kusuma (@erick_aka) May 13, 2018
Another netizen Ani Natalia @aniwinn expressed her concerns in her tweet along with a monochrome picture of Surabaya’s famous Shark and Crocodile monument containing the hashtag #BersatuLawanTerorisme.
Kami #BersatuLawanTerorisme karena kami cinta Indonesia. #SuroboyoGakWedi #SuroboyoWani #IndonesiaTidakTakut pic.twitter.com/LziTBeyo2U
— Ani Natalia (@aniwinn) May 13, 2018
“We should unite and fight terrorism because we love Indonesia. #SuroboyoGakWedi #SuroboyoWani,” she tweeted.
Official Twitter accounts of several ministries, like Cabinet Secretariat (setkabgoid) and Education and Culture Ministry (Kemdikbud_RI), have also posted recommendations that netizens do not share graphic pictures and videos of the bombing victims.
Penting!
Teroris berulah lagi di Surabaya. Jangan pernah memberi angin apalagi bersimpati pada teroris. Rapatkan barisan #BersatuLawanTerorisme
Sebarkan pic.twitter.com/V20jTi895L
— Sekretariat Kabinet (@setkabgoid) May 13, 2018
“Circulating photos of the bombing victims on social media is what the terrorists expect us to do to spread fear among us,” the picture reads.
Each of the ministry and state official’s tweets were retweeted by hundreds to thousands of netizens.
Three explosions – reportedly suicide bombings – occurred at three churches in Surabaya, namely Saint Mary Immaculate (STMB) Catholic Church on Jl. Ngagel Jaya Utara Raya, Diponegoro Indonesian Christian Church (GKI) on Jl. Diponegoro and Surabaya Pentecostal Church (GPPS) on Jl. Arjuna.
East Java Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Frans Barung Mangera confirmed that the explosions had claimed 10 lives and injured 41 people. (ahw)
