Since she first rose to prominence, 18-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg has faced (and expertly handled) opposition and harassment from many corners of the internet, including Twitter’s biggest cyberbully and least favorite U.S. president. But in a bizarre turn, figures in India are trying to “expose” Thunberg on Twitter, arguing that she that she and Rihanna (yes, Rihanna) are misrepresenting the ongoing farmer protests throughout the country and pushing a global conspiracy theory.
© Provided by Refinery29 HAMBURG, GERMANY – MARCH 01: Teenage Swedish activist Greta Thunberg demonstrates with high school students against global warming at a Fridays for Future demonstration on March 01, 2019 in Hamburg, Germany. Fridays for Future is an international movement of students who, instead of attending their classes, take part in demonstrations demanding for action against climate change. The series of demonstrations began when Thunberg staged such a protest outside the Swedish parliament building. (Photo by Adam Berry/Getty Images)
This week, Thunberg and Rihanna — along with a few other celebrities, including Mia Khalifa — tweeted out links to articles about the current protests in India, which have been ongoing since November. The protests, which are pushing back against recent laws that will strip farm workers of guaranteed wages, have been a point of contention within the country. In an effort to raise awareness, Thunberg shared a Google doc with information about how to help India’s farmers on social media. But she deleted that tweet after supporters of India’s ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, began tweeting #GretaThunbergExposed and questioning the purpose of the document.
“@GretaThunberg has exposed the global conspiracy that she is a part of,” wrote the Republic Media Network, a right-wing news channel in India. “If you read the contents of the Google doc that she shared, it’s clear that there’s an orchestrated, scripted, and well-funded plan to target India, Indian companies, and Indian democracy.”
It should be noted that Republic TV has been accused of spreading false news and bias in favor of the Bharatiya Janata Party. And now, they are falsely implying that Thunberg is at the center of some kind of international plan to attack Indian democracy. Like previous conspiracy theories about Thunberg, this one is wrong.
The protests date back to a series of laws implemented last September. The main takeaway is that, under the new legislation, workers won’t be given guaranteed wages and will instead be allowed to sell their crops to anyone, at any price. The government insists that this will help India’s economy, but farmers argue that the laws will only lower the costs of their goods and leave agriculture workers across the country vulnerable to exploitation.
To fully grasp the magnitude of the problem, it’s important to recognize how many people are impacted by these changes. Not only does the industry make up almost 15% of India’s economy, but 58% of Indians cite agriculture as their family’s primary source of livelihood. The Indian government released a response to Thunberg’s call to action, writing that the protestors represent “a very small section of farmers in parts of India” who simply have “reservations” about the new laws.
“The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible,” the external affairs ministry wrote on Wednesday.
However, Thunberg isn’t the one presenting inaccurate, irresponsible information. Hundreds of thousands of farmers have participated in the protests; many have camped out around Delhi for months. The government has escalated its attempts to stop the movement by obstructing protestors’ access to food and water and, more recently, shutting down internet access. There have also been concerns about freedom of the press since multiple journalists were detained for purportedly “inciting” the farmers at the border between Delhi and Haryana.
The internet shutdown has especially impacted people in India and drawn national attention to the protests. “I work tirelessly in the day, helping with the arrangements at the protest site,” 25-year-old Harneet Singh told The Guardian. “Normally, a video call in the evening with the family would relieve my stress but the internet shutdown is choking us.”
Critics believe that the aim of the shutdown was to slash communication between farmers from different protest sites, and communication between protestors and the rest of the world. “The government does not want the real facts to reach protesting farmers, nor their peaceful conduct to reach the world,” Darshan Pal said in a statement, according to CNN. Pal is a leader from Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a united front of over 40 farmers’ unions that banded together to protest the new legislation. He added that the government is afraid of different unions contacting each other and teaming up. “Typically, these village groups work together against each other, but this time they have all united for the collective fight.”
The protests came to a head on January 26, also known as India Republic Day. Farmers entered the capital of Delhi and clashed with the police, who reacted with tear gas and batons. The conflict left many protestors and members of law enforcement injured, and Delhi police called it an “anti-national act.”
The reality is, Thunberg hasn’t been exposed as anything other than a staunch activist, and her role in the protests isn’t dissimilar from the role she has played countless times before. She’s using her platform to raise awareness and attract attention to an important movement. And she probably isn’t going to let a hashtag stop her.
This week, Thunberg and Rihanna — along with a few other celebrities, including Mia Khalifa — tweeted out links to articles about the current protests in India, which have been ongoing since November. The protests, which are pushing back against recent laws that will strip farm workers of guaranteed wages, have been a point of contention within the country. In an effort to raise awareness, Thunberg shared a Google doc with information about how to help India’s farmers on social media. But she deleted that tweet after supporters of India’s ruling party, the Bharatiya Janata Party, began tweeting #GretaThunbergExposed and questioning the purpose of the document.
“@GretaThunberg has exposed the global conspiracy that she is a part of,” wrote the Republic Media Network, a right-wing news channel in India. “If you read the contents of the Google doc that she shared, it’s clear that there’s an orchestrated, scripted, and well-funded plan to target India, Indian companies, and Indian democracy.”
It should be noted that Republic TV has been accused of spreading false news and bias in favor of the Bharatiya Janata Party. And now, they are falsely implying that Thunberg is at the center of some kind of international plan to attack Indian democracy. Like previous conspiracy theories about Thunberg, this one is wrong.
The protests date back to a series of laws implemented last September. The main takeaway is that, under the new legislation, workers won’t be given guaranteed wages and will instead be allowed to sell their crops to anyone, at any price. The government insists that this will help India’s economy, but farmers argue that the laws will only lower the costs of their goods and leave agriculture workers across the country vulnerable to exploitation.
To fully grasp the magnitude of the problem, it’s important to recognize how many people are impacted by these changes. Not only does the industry make up almost 15% of India’s economy, but 58% of Indians cite agriculture as their family’s primary source of livelihood. The Indian government released a response to Thunberg’s call to action, writing that the protestors represent “a very small section of farmers in parts of India” who simply have “reservations” about the new laws.
“The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible,” the external affairs ministry wrote on Wednesday.
However, Thunberg isn’t the one presenting inaccurate, irresponsible information. Hundreds of thousands of farmers have participated in the protests; many have camped out around Delhi for months. The government has escalated its attempts to stop the movement by obstructing protestors’ access to food and water and, more recently, shutting down internet access. There have also been concerns about freedom of the press since multiple journalists were detained for purportedly “inciting” the farmers at the border between Delhi and Haryana.
The internet shutdown has especially impacted people in India and drawn national attention to the protests. “I work tirelessly in the day, helping with the arrangements at the protest site,” 25-year-old Harneet Singh told The Guardian. “Normally, a video call in the evening with the family would relieve my stress but the internet shutdown is choking us.”
Critics believe that the aim of the shutdown was to slash communication between farmers from different protest sites, and communication between protestors and the rest of the world. “The government does not want the real facts to reach protesting farmers, nor their peaceful conduct to reach the world,” Darshan Pal said in a statement, according to CNN. Pal is a leader from Samyukta Kisan Morcha, a united front of over 40 farmers’ unions that banded together to protest the new legislation. He added that the government is afraid of different unions contacting each other and teaming up. “Typically, these village groups work together against each other, but this time they have all united for the collective fight.”
The protests came to a head on January 26, also known as India Republic Day. Farmers entered the capital of Delhi and clashed with the police, who reacted with tear gas and batons. The conflict left many protestors and members of law enforcement injured, and Delhi police called it an “anti-national act.”
The reality is, Thunberg hasn’t been exposed as anything other than a staunch activist, and her role in the protests isn’t dissimilar from the role she has played countless times before. She’s using her platform to raise awareness and attract attention to an important movement. And she probably isn’t going to let a hashtag stop her.
1 tweet from Rihanna on farmer protests gets India incensed
NEW DELHI — It took just one tweet from Rihanna to anger the Indian government and supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party. The pop star linked a news article in a tweet drawing attention to the massive farmer protests that have gripped India for more than two months.
NEW DELHI — It took just one tweet from Rihanna to anger the Indian government and supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's party. The pop star linked a news article in a tweet drawing attention to the massive farmer protests that have gripped India for more than two months.
© Provided by The Canadian Press
Now, senior government ministers, Indian celebrities and even the foreign ministry are urging people to come together and denounce outsiders who try to break the country.
“It is unfortunate to see vested interest groups trying to enforce their agenda on these protests, and derail them,” India's foreign ministry said Wednesday in a rare statement criticizing “foreign individuals” posting on social media. It did not name Rihanna and others who followed suit.
Tens of thousands of farmers have been hunkering down at the Indian capital’s fringes to protest new agricultural laws they say will leave them poorer and at the mercy of corporations. The protests are posing a major challenge to Modi who has billed the laws as necessary to modernize Indian farming.
Their largely peaceful protests turned violent on Jan. 26, India’s Republic Day, when a section of the tens of thousands of farmers riding tractors veered from the protest route earlier decided with police and stormed the 17th century Red Fort in a dramatic escalation. Hundreds of police officers were injured and a protester died. Scores of farmers were also injured but officials have not given their numbers.
Farmer leaders condemned the violence but said they would not call off the protest.
Since then, authorities have heavily increased security at protest sites outside New Delhi’s border, adding iron spikes and steel barricades to stop demonstrating farmers from entering the capital. The government had also restricted access to mobile internet at protest sites up until Tuesday evening.
The latest controversy started Tuesday when Rihanna tweeted to her more than 101 million followers: “Why aren’t we talking about this?!” She linked to a CNN news report about India blocking internet services at the protest sites, a favoured tactic of the Modi government to thwart protests.
The Associated Press and multiple other international news agencies have been covering the farmer protests for months.
Soon after Rihanna's tweet, international condemnation from human rights groups and outrage from Indian supporters of Modi’s party followed. And the foreign ministry accused “foreign individuals” and celebrities of “sensationalism,” without names.
Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg and the niece of U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, Meena Harris, were among those who tweeted their support, triggering a social media storm back in India.
Bollywood entertainers and sports stars, many of whom have long been silent on the farmer protests and often toe the government's line, tweeted in one voice.
They used hashtags #IndiaAgainstPropaganda and #IndiaTogether, echoing the government’s stand on the agriculture laws, and asked people outside India not to meddle with their country’s affairs.
“No one is talking about it because they are not farmers, they are terrorists who are trying to divide India,” actress Kangana Ranaut, a supporter of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, tweeted.
Rihanna’s and Thunberg's tweets also prompted responses from almost every senior leader of BJP, including Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Home Minister Amit Shah, who said that “no propaganda can deter India’s unity.”
The main opposition Congress party leader Shashi Tharoor said the damage done to India’s global image by the government’s “undemocratic behaviour” could not be restored by making celebrities tweet.
Tharoor in a tweet said Indian government getting “Indian celebrities to react to Western ones is embarrassing."
Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram took a swipe at the foreign ministry and called its statement “puerile reaction.”
“When will you realize that people concerned with issues of human rights and livelihoods do not recognize national boundaries?,” Chidambaram tweeted.
Negotiations between representatives of the government and farmers to end the protests have failed. The government has proposed suspending the laws for 18 months but is not meeting the farmers' demands for a full repeal.
Sheikh Saaliq, The Associated Press
Now, senior government ministers, Indian celebrities and even the foreign ministry are urging people to come together and denounce outsiders who try to break the country.
“It is unfortunate to see vested interest groups trying to enforce their agenda on these protests, and derail them,” India's foreign ministry said Wednesday in a rare statement criticizing “foreign individuals” posting on social media. It did not name Rihanna and others who followed suit.
Tens of thousands of farmers have been hunkering down at the Indian capital’s fringes to protest new agricultural laws they say will leave them poorer and at the mercy of corporations. The protests are posing a major challenge to Modi who has billed the laws as necessary to modernize Indian farming.
Their largely peaceful protests turned violent on Jan. 26, India’s Republic Day, when a section of the tens of thousands of farmers riding tractors veered from the protest route earlier decided with police and stormed the 17th century Red Fort in a dramatic escalation. Hundreds of police officers were injured and a protester died. Scores of farmers were also injured but officials have not given their numbers.
Farmer leaders condemned the violence but said they would not call off the protest.
Since then, authorities have heavily increased security at protest sites outside New Delhi’s border, adding iron spikes and steel barricades to stop demonstrating farmers from entering the capital. The government had also restricted access to mobile internet at protest sites up until Tuesday evening.
The latest controversy started Tuesday when Rihanna tweeted to her more than 101 million followers: “Why aren’t we talking about this?!” She linked to a CNN news report about India blocking internet services at the protest sites, a favoured tactic of the Modi government to thwart protests.
The Associated Press and multiple other international news agencies have been covering the farmer protests for months.
Soon after Rihanna's tweet, international condemnation from human rights groups and outrage from Indian supporters of Modi’s party followed. And the foreign ministry accused “foreign individuals” and celebrities of “sensationalism,” without names.
Teenage climate activist Greta Thunberg and the niece of U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris, Meena Harris, were among those who tweeted their support, triggering a social media storm back in India.
Bollywood entertainers and sports stars, many of whom have long been silent on the farmer protests and often toe the government's line, tweeted in one voice.
They used hashtags #IndiaAgainstPropaganda and #IndiaTogether, echoing the government’s stand on the agriculture laws, and asked people outside India not to meddle with their country’s affairs.
“No one is talking about it because they are not farmers, they are terrorists who are trying to divide India,” actress Kangana Ranaut, a supporter of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party, tweeted.
Rihanna’s and Thunberg's tweets also prompted responses from almost every senior leader of BJP, including Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar and Home Minister Amit Shah, who said that “no propaganda can deter India’s unity.”
The main opposition Congress party leader Shashi Tharoor said the damage done to India’s global image by the government’s “undemocratic behaviour” could not be restored by making celebrities tweet.
Tharoor in a tweet said Indian government getting “Indian celebrities to react to Western ones is embarrassing."
Former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram took a swipe at the foreign ministry and called its statement “puerile reaction.”
“When will you realize that people concerned with issues of human rights and livelihoods do not recognize national boundaries?,” Chidambaram tweeted.
Negotiations between representatives of the government and farmers to end the protests have failed. The government has proposed suspending the laws for 18 months but is not meeting the farmers' demands for a full repeal.
Sheikh Saaliq, The Associated Press
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