Rihanna tweet on Farmers protest
It only took one tweet from Rihanna to anger the government of India and supporters of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party. The pop star shared a link to an article about the massive farmer protests that have paralyzed the country for more than two months.
Senior government officials, Indian celebrities and even the Foreign Ministry are asking the population to join in and report foreigners who are trying to break the country.
“It is regrettable to see vested interest groups trying to enforce their agenda in these protests, and derail them,” the Indian Foreign Ministry said in a rare statement on Wednesday, without naming Rihanna and others who followed suit.
Tens of thousands of farmers have camped out on the outskirts of the Indian capital, New Delhi, to protest against new legislation that they say will make them poorer and leave them at the mercy of corporations. The mobilizations pose a major challenge for Modi, who described the laws as necessary to modernize the agricultural sector.
The protracted protests have been mostly peaceful, but violence erupted on January 26, on Republic Day, when tens of thousands of farmers, aboard their tractors and on foot, stormed the 17th-century Red Fort in a short but shocking take. Hundreds of officers were injured and one of the protesters died. Dozens of protesters were also injured, but the authorities did not offer specific information.
The latest controversy began on Tuesday, when Rihanna tweeted to her more than 101 million followers on Twitter: “Why aren’t we talking about this ?!” And he shared a link to a news item on CNN television about the blocking of internet services at the protest sites, a tactic used by the Modi government to stop the mobilizations.
This was followed by international condemnation by human rights groups and the outrage of supporters of Modi’s party.
The Indian Foreign Ministry, which did not name the singer and designer by name, accused “foreign individuals” and celebrities of “sensationalism.”
Climate activist Greta Thunberg and Meena Harris, the niece of US Vice President Kamala Harris, also tweeted their support, and a social media storm soon broke out.
Bollywood actors and sports aces, many of whom had been silent about the protests and are known to follow the government line, responded to the hashtags #IndiaContraLaPropaganda and #IndiaUnida in unison, echoing the official position on the matter.
Rihanna and Thunberg’s tweets also had the response of almost all the leaders of the Modi formation, including the Foreign Minister, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, and the Interior Minister, Amit Shah, pointing out that “no propaganda can prevent the unity of India” .