Fact Check: AI Video Fakes Israeli Flag at Surabaya Protest

January 14, 2026 | 06:19 pm

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - A video claiming that Muslims in Surabaya carried Israeli flag during a demonstration has been circulating on social media platforms like X [archive], Facebook (account one, two, and three), and Instagram since early January 2026.

In the short, 17-second video, a protester, while walking, states that thousands of Muslims in Surabaya were demonstrating peacefully. "We carried the Israeli flag as a sign that we want peace, not hatred. Allahu Akbar! Islam is a religion of peace! May the world hear our message," he said.

However, was it true that there was a demonstration by Muslims carrying Israeli flags in Surabaya?

FACT CHECK

Tempo verified the video using Google's reverse image search feature, credible media reports, and artificial intelligence detection tools. The results showed that the circulating video was created by artificial intelligence (AI).

The video bears the watermark of the TikTok account @rutdangi2. After investigation, the account shared the video on January 9, 2026. The account is pro-Israel, having repeatedly shared videos promoting the idea that peace was created by Israel.

Tempo found several irregularities in the video purportedly showing Surabaya residents carrying Israeli flags. From 0:03 to 0:07, the people on the truck appear frozen, completely motionless.

The banner displayed on the front of the truck reads "Islam Agama Dama" (Islam, the Religion of Peac). But the letter "i" is missing, which should form the word "Damai" (Peace). Furthermore, the man's speech, speaking to the camera, is out of sync with his lips.

Anomalies in this kind of content are one of the signs that the video was created with AI.

Next, Tempo analyzed the video using the AI detection tool Hive Moderation. The tool concluded that the video had a 99 percent probability of AI elements.

Meanwhile, analysis using the Zhuque AI Detection tool found that the video was generated by AI at around 47.38 percent.

Solidarity Rallies for Palestine in Surabaya

Several solidarity rallies for Palestine and condemnation of Israel's genocide against the people of Gaza took place in Surabaya in 2025. The first one took place on February 2, 2025. According to Suara Surabaya, the rally in defense of Palestine consisted of a long march and ended at the Grahadi Building.

Further rallies took place on March 28, 2025, and April 19, 2025, also centered at the Grahadi Building, according to Antara.

In these rallies, no residents carried Israeli flag. Furthermore, there have been no demonstrations in defense of Israel in Surabaya as of the publication of this article.

CONCLUSION

Based on Tempo's investigation, the claim that there was a demonstration by Muslims carrying Israeli flag in Surabaya is false.

TEMPO FACT CHECK TEAM

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