India unites against Western celebrity activists over their remarks on Indian farmers’ protests
A number of prominent Indian celebrities took to social media to demonstrate unity using the hashtags #IndiaTogether and #IndiaAgainstPropaganda after some Western celebrity activists including pop star Rihanna, actress Amanda Cerny, former adult star Mia Khalifa and Hollywood actor John Cusack wrote messages of support for protesting Indian farmers.
Tens of thousands of Indian farmers, predominantly from the north Western state of Punjab, have been protesting against the federal government since December over new market-friendly laws introduced by the ruling nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party around the sale, pricing and storage of agricultural products.
Farmers currently sell their products to government-controlled markets at assured prices. They fear they will be exploited by private players and corporates when the new laws come into effect.
The protests turned violent earlier this week resulting in clashes between the police and protesting farmers.
Singer Rihanna, who has over 100 million followers on Twitter, shared an article covering the protests and wrote: “why aren’t we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest”.
Actress Amanda Cerny posted a picture of three Indian women on Instagram and wrote: “The world is watching. You don’t have to be Indian or Punjabi or South Asian to understand the issue. All you have to do is care about humanity. Always demand freedom of speech, freedom of press, basic human and civil rights-equity and dignity for workers. ❤️ #FarmersProtest #internetshutdown”
Former adult actress Mia Khalifa, environmental activist Greta Thunberg and Hollywood actor John Cusack also commented on the protests and wrote messages of support for the farmers.
This morning, India’s Ministry of Home Affairs released a statement saying the reforms give “expanded market access and provided greater flexibility to farmers” and “pave the way for economically and ecologically sustainable farming”, and blamed “vested interests” for “trying to enforce their agenda on these protests”.
“Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand be undertaken. The temptation of sensationalist social media hashtags and comments, especially when resorted to by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible,” the statement concluded with the hashtags #IndiaTogether and #IndiaAgainstPropaganda.
Several prominent Indian celebrities used these hashtags to express their solidarity with the Indian government, reiterating that the protests are related to issues internal to India and urged the country to stay “united” against people attempting to “divide India”.
Veteran playback singer Lata Mangeshkar shared a note saying she had “full faith that any issues or problems that as a country we face, we are fully equipped to resolve them amicably, keeping the interest of our people in mind”.
Bollywood superstar Akshay Kumar urged his followers to support “an amicable resolution” over “paying attention to anyone creating differences”.
Filmmaker Karan Johar wrote “Let us not let anyone divide us” and asked his followers to “make every effort we can to find solutions that work for everyone”.
Legendary cricketer Sachin Tendulkar asked “external forces” to be “spectators but not participants”, adding: “Indians know India and should decide for India. Let’s remain united as a nation.”
Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli appealed to fellow Indians to “stay united in this hour of disagreements”.
Hashtags #IndiaTogether and #IndiaAgainstPropaganda have been the top trending topics on Twitter in India today with over 2 million tweets.
