New Delhi – Greta Thunberg, a teenage climate change activist, said on Thursday that “hate” and “threats” will not stop her from speaking out in support of thousands of Indian farmers locked in a face their government. Thunberg fired online again, while Indian police launched an investigation citing her tweets, which drew an online vitriol reaction.
“They still #StandWithFarmers and support their peaceful protest. No amount of hatred, threats or human rights violations will ever change that. #FarmersProtest,” the young Swedish activist wrote on Twitter.
Indian police have begun the process of investigating what the government labels as “propaganda” through “invested interest groups” trying to “mobilize international support against India”.
The investigation may include a number of posts on social networks, including some posted by Thunberg, in support of the farmers’ protest for months.
Delhi police cited his tweets in a First Information Report (FIR), the first step in the investigation under Indian law, which claims a “criminal conspiracy” and an attempt to “promote enmity between different groups on religious grounds” , race, place of birth, residence, language … and acts to the detriment of maintaining harmony, “according to Indian news media NDTV.
Earlier on Thursday, Thunberg shared a “toolkit” in a Twitter post advising people on how to show support for protesters.
Delhi police said on Thursday that their investigation into an “overseas conspiracy” was not against Thunberg, but the “toolkit” she sent to Twitter, which is said to come from a group. Sikh separatist.
Thunberg first expressed solidarity with farmers after the pop star Rihanna drew global attention to their protests against three controversial new farm laws. Demonstrations have been raging since November, with occasional violent clashes in Delhi.
Altaf Qadri / AP
The Indian government took over celebrities on Wednesday after their tweets drew global attention, dismissing social media messages as “sensationalist” and “neither fair nor responsible.”
“The temptation of hashtags and sensational comments on social media, especially when they are resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible,” India’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
Several other public figures, including American activists and politicians, also sent a tweet in support of farmers.
“It is no coincidence that the oldest democracy in the world was attacked not even a month ago and, as we speak, the most populous democracy is being attacked. This is related. We should all be outraged by the Internet outages in India and paramilitary violence against farmers ‘protesters, “wrote US Vice President Kamala Harris’ niece. Meena Harris.
“The events in India are worrying. As a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee, I am closely monitoring the situation. The right to peaceful protest must always be respected,” said Jim Costa, a California Democrat who serves on both foreign affairs committees. and agriculture.
Hundreds of thousands of farmers in India have been locked in a defiant confrontation with the government since the end of last year over three agricultural reform laws passed in September.
The government insists that the reforms will give farmers more market access and more flexibility. But farmers say the measures will help big business and destroy the livelihoods of small farmers. I demand a complete repeal of all three laws.
Eleven rounds of talks between the leaders of the agricultural protests and the Modi government failed to resolve the issue.
India’s agricultural sector contributes almost 15% to India’s $ 2.9 trillion economy and employs nearly half of the country’s 1.3 billion people.
The Indian government on Wednesday reiterated its justification for the reforms and said it was only a “very small section of farmers in parts of India” who “have some reservations about these reforms”.
The government insisted that the laws be approved after a “full debate and discussion” in parliament.
Distance around the capital
Indian police have stepped up efforts to prevent protesting farmers from re-entering the capital, ahead of a call for a second nationwide stop this weekend in support of the protest.
Farmers threatened to block roads across the country on Saturday in protest of what they called harassment by government authorities, including disruption to water, electricity and internet services to protest camps.
Manish Swarup / AP
Internet services were shut down earlier this week at three key highway entry points in Delhi, where farmers have been sheltered for more than two months.
Several Indian news reports that police have erected iron spikes, barbed wire and concrete walls at various points of entry into the capital.
Human Rights Watch has called on the Indian government to drop legal cases against eight journalists who were arrested after reporting on January 26 protests and clashes.
MONEY SHARMA / AFP / Getty
“The Indian authorities’ response to the protests has focused on discrediting peaceful protesters, harassing government critics and prosecuting those who report on events,” said South Asian HRW Director Meenakshi Ganguly.
Twitter warning
The Indian government warned on Wednesday on Twitter that it could take some unspecified actions against the social platform for its attempt to “unilaterally” unblock more than 250 accounts that it suspended on Monday, at the request of the government, in connection with the use of a controversial hashtag related to farmers’ protests.
The government tagged the tweets using the hashtag, which accuses officials of planning a “genocide” of farmers, which is part of a “campaign motivated to abuse, ignite and create tension in society for unfounded reasons.”
“Incitement to genocide is not freedom of expression; it is a threat to the legal order,” the government insisted in warnings to the socialization company to comply.