Spoof Apology Video Sparks Further Outrage Against Disrespectful Bali Tourist 

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Bali lovers have been left outraged by yet another video of a tourist posing nude by a Balinese temple. In the latest viral video, a caucasian man can be seen ‘meditating’ naked in front of a temple.

Bali Immigration and Police are now looking for the man; though the original account has been emptied, a new account has started sharing spoofs of the controversial video. 

The video sadly speaks for itself. According to the Instagram account where the video was originally shared, the man in question is called Julian Zietlow.

However, his account with 376,000 followers now only has one post on it.

The original video of him meditating at the temple has been removed, but not before netizens took screen recordings and the footage went viral.

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A post shared by Ni Luh Putu Ary Pertami Djelantik (@niluhdjelantik)

Officials from Bali’s Department of Immigration are now trying to track down the man in the video.

The Head of Denpasar Immigration Office, Tedy Riyandi, told reporters on Monday, “We are coordinating with the Bali Police’s Intelligence and Security Directorate.”

He added, “We are trying to find the whereabouts of the foreigner and investigate the time and [exact] place of the indecent.”

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A post shared by Ni Luh Putu Ary Pertami Djelantik (@niluhdjelantik)

The footage first emerged online over the weekend and has caught the attention of Ni Luh Djelantik, a highly regarded social justice advocate and Balinese entrepreneur.

Djelantik and her community of online supporters have been on a mission to raise awareness of the rising number of foreigners behaving badly in Bali for the last year.

Djelantik wrote in her original post, “So disrespectful. Meditating nak*d on our temple? ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR F*KIN MIND? How could you do this, humiliating the Balinese and their belief?”

“Immigration Officer please get this person, we’ve had enough! This is a humiliation to us Balinese people. @julianzietlow you don’t deserve to be part of our Bali.”

However, to add confusion to matters, the video has been shared once again on another Instagram page that appears to be a spoof account.

There are dozens of meme and spoof accounts that highlight the controversial actions of foreigners in Bali, but this new account has taken things to the next level. 

The account, @autistic_digital_nomad, appears to be mocking the stereotypical image of the kind of tourists who have been hitting the headlines this year for conducting illegal and disrespectful behavior in Bali.

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A post shared by Ni Luh Putu Ary Pertami Djelantik (@niluhdjelantik)

On this relatively new account, the viral video has been shared once again, but this time with a pseudo-apology for the actions of the man in question. 

The ‘apology video’ on the second spoof account is really fanning the flames.

The creator of the video has outlined an all too believable story that the foreigner in question ‘owns’ the land after a low-baller deal with a local man who was struggling financially.

This satirical apology on the fake account is now receiving a huge influx of comments. 

The joke clearly hasn’t landed for many netizens who have reacted with the same level of frustration as with the original video.

For those on the outside of Balinese culture, it may be possible to employ satire to the situation, but this kind of humor won’t sit well with many Balinese people for whom this video showcases a deeply sacrilegious act, an act that is an assault on their land and culture.

It should be noted that since the video contains nudity, anyone sharing the footage should be aware of warnings reiterated by Bali police earlier this year.

Indonesia has some of the strictest online defamation laws in the world. Anyone caught sharing or possessing content that violates these online defamation laws or could be considered pornographic could face criminal charges. 

Speaking in May 2023 the Head of Public Relations of the Bali Police, Kombes Pol Stefanus Satake Bayu Setianto, urged locals and tourists not to circulate footage of tourists behaving illegally in Bali.

He explained, “If there is an incident, the public can immediately report it to the police or other relevant agencies.” 

He added, ”[Reporting] can also be done via social media as long as it doesn’t violate the rules, as stipulated in the ITE Law [Online Defamation Law].

He concluded, “Content like this doesn’t need to be made viral because what is going viral is also violating the law.”

The Bali Becik Task Force, a dedicated team working to crack down on badly behaved tourists in Bali, can be contacted on the hotline number 08 139 9679 966.