Bangladeshi students protesting government quotas found an unexpected ally earlier this month when the country faced widespread violence and an internet shutdown: the online fanbase of South Korean pop band BTS. As violence erupted and the internet was inaccessible for days, the BTS ARMY (Adorable Representative M.C. for Youth) mobilized to amplify the voices of Bangladeshi protesters.
India Today identified at least 50 BTS fan pages that shared posts with hashtags like #StepDownHasina, #StudentsUnderAttack, and #QuotaReformProtest. The protests, which saw at least 140 people killed in Dhaka and other cities, called for an end to reservations in government jobs and education for the kin of those who fought for Bangladesh’s independence from Pakistan over 50 years ago.
During the unrest, the internet was completely inaccessible for five days and partially accessible for about a week, leaving millions unable to access social media. Bangladeshi expatriates were among the few who could raise awareness, and many turned to the BTS ARMY for help. The fanbase responded by sharing similar content, with the phrase "We stand with Bangladeshi students" appearing in nearly 9,000 tweets and retweets within a week ending on July 23.
Popular BTS fan accounts like @btslinesiconic, which has over 84,000 followers, shared posts supporting the protests. Some accounts, such as @lunovjae, changed their display names or profile pictures to show solidarity with the protesters. This user tagged Spanish authorities and international organizations in tweets, calling for international media coverage. Other users, like @makkeishitero and @bboohaoshi, also changed their display names to support the quota reform movement.
Historical tweets from several of these accounts show strong participation in campaigns supporting the free Palestine movement. In 2021, several BTS fan pages were targeted for copyright claims by a Dhaka-based group called "Team Copyright," which aimed to "destroy the toxic fanbase" and criticized BTS for "promoting atheism and homosexuality."
NetBlocks, an internet observatory, reported restrictions on Facebook and WhatsApp on July 16 and July 17, followed by a total internet shutdown in Bangladesh from July 18, which continued for another four days. Fixed-line internet connectivity was partially restored on July 23. NetBlocks Director Alp Toker stated that the shutdown adversely affected families and left rights activists struggling to monitor potential human rights violations during the protest.
