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🇮🇩 Indonesia /Culture & Society

Fact Check: Were Red Beret Troops Deployed to Secure the August 27 Jakarta Protest?

From Tempo · () Indonesian

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Named sources Outcome reported
  • A video circulating on YouTube and Facebook falsely linked footage of Kopassus Red Beret troops to Jakarta's Aug. 27 protest.
  • Tempo's fact-check team found that the video showed a July ceremony for the 114th Kopassus Commando Qualification Course.
  • Indonesian authorities deployed 18,504 police and military personnel to secure 62 protests in Central Jakarta, but officials said the viral troop claim was a hoax.

A video showing Indonesia's Red Beret troops marching with weapons did not show forces being deployed to secure Jakarta's Aug. 27 protest, despite claims shared on YouTube and Facebook.

Tempo's fact-check team used reverse-image searches and other sources to trace the footage to July 29, when it was uploaded by the Afra Prajurit TV YouTube account. Similar clips appeared on Facebook and TikTok. The footage followed a beret-awarding ceremony for the 114th Kopassus Commando candidate cohort.

The red beret ceremony marks the completion of the Kopassus Commando Qualification Course for Indonesian Army soldiers. Several accounts shared the video while congratulating members of the 114th Commando class.

That is a hoax. Beware of provocateurs.

— Major General Muhammad NasThe TNI Information Center chief rejected the claim that Red Beret troops were deployed to secure the protest.

The Indonesian National Armed Forces did take part in securing the protests. Citing Kompas.com, Tempo reported that a joint force of 18,504 police and military personnel covered 62 protest actions in Central Jakarta that day. Central Jakarta Metro Police Chief Senior Commissioner Reynold E.P. Hutagalung said the deployment aimed to provide safety and comfort for people expressing their views. He added that police officers in the field carried neither firearms nor bladed weapons.

TNI Information Center chief Major General Muhammad Nas rejected the claim about the Red Beret troops. “That is a hoax. Beware of provocateurs,” he told Tempo via WhatsApp on Aug. 27.

A total of 18,504 personnel were deployed to the field to serve and oversee the demonstrations. We are here to ensure a sense of safety and comfort for all members of the public who are voicing their aspirations.

— Senior Commissioner Reynold E.P. HutagalungThe Central Jakarta police chief described the security deployment for 62 protest actions.
About this summary

Originally published by Tempo. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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