A cadet of French descent won the hearts of Indonesian netizens. Then, an alleged picture of him with an Islamist flag went viral.
Enzo Zenz Allie, an 18-year-old Indonesian citizen of French descent, has become the unlikely subject of a social media controversy.
His popularity began innocuously, as videos and photos of his recruitment as a Military Academy cadet under the Indonesian Military (TNI) made him a heartthrob among netizens seemingly overnight, with many expressing their fondness for his half-Caucasian look and proficiency in spoken French.
In a video posted on the official Indonesian Army Instagram feed @tni_angkatan_darat that has since gone viral, Enzo converses with TNI commander Air Chief Marshall Hadi Tjahjanto in French during his recruitment interview. Enzo told the military commander, among other things, details about his upbringing in Paris, France, as well as his life in Indonesia.
Things looked bright for the son of late Parisian Jean Paul Francois Allie and North Sumatra native Siti Hajah Tilaria, as public support for him came in spades on social media.
However, it was not long before his popularity turned into notoriety.
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