Swedish activist Greta Thunberg, activist and author Meena Harris (who happens to be US Vice President Kamala Harris' niece) and countless others have taken to Twitter over the last few hours, reiterating their support for India's protesting farmers. This comes even as the Delhi police cracks down on the makers of a protest 'toolkit' shared by Thunberg, and thousands of social media users including BJP lawmakers speak about the international "conspiracy" that was being hatched.
"I still #StandWithFarmers and support their peaceful protest. No amount of hate, threats or violations of human rights will ever change that. #FarmersProtest" tweeted Thunberg as news reports suggested that the Delhi Police had registered an FIR against her.
The police later clarified that they had not named anyone in the FIR, and that it was "only against the creators of the toolkit".
The farmers protest on Friday entered its 70th day, with no clear end in sight. While the protestors want the laws repealed in its entirety, the Centre has expressed willingness to put them temporarily on hold and bring in amendments. But even as the deadlock continues, the wave of support from well known international figures is making headlines.
It began with a simple tweet from pop star and businesswoman Rihanna. She shared a CNN article about internet shutdowns in areas near Delhi and the ongoing protests with a simple caption: "Why aren't we talking about this?" What followed was an avalance of support for the farmers' agitation from well known personalities across the world, even as countless Indian personalities countered this narrative.
Even the Ministry of External Affairs responded to the situation, censuring celebrities and others for succumbing to the "temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments" without verification of facts and a "proper understanding of the issues at hand".
Since then, several individuals have reaffirmed their support for the farmers. And while there has been no follow-up post from Rihanna, we can safely say that her point has been noted. After all, this has now been the primary topic of discussion (at least virtually) for nearly two days.
But the outrage against these personalities is equally strong. Not only online abuse or criticism, some seem to have taken this a step further, burning photos of the international critics or agitating against them.
While Meena Harris echoed Thunberg's comment about continuing to stand by the farmers, another post shared by her shows people burning her photos in protest. Images shared by Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui show protesters in India burning images of Thunberg, Harris and Rihanna. According to the caption, the individuals in the images are "activists from United Hindu Front".
Many others who had shared posts calling out the Indian government or extending support to the agitating farmers have also taken to Twitter over the last few hours with similar messages.
The list includes Ugandan climate justice activist Vanessa Nakate and US-based activist Jamie Margolin.
