Published 17:49 IST, February 4th 2021
Greta Thunberg reiterates support for anti-farm law stir even as Delhi Police files FIR
Environmental activist Greta Thunberg reiterated her support for the farm stirred despite being booked by the Delhi Police for her alleged provocative tweets.
On Thursday, environmental activist Greta Thunberg reiterated her support for the farm stirred despite being booked by the Delhi Police for her alleged provocative tweets. Cracking down against the global anti-farm law campaign, the Delhi Police filed an FIR against her under Sections 120B and 153A of the IT Act. She had stirred a controversy a day earlier by backing the protests against the three farm laws passed by the Parliament and sharing a 'toolkit' for people to help in the agitation.
The 6-page document titled 'Ask India Why' consisted of detailed instructions to target the Indian government and a few Indian corporate enterprises, in the garb of the farmers' protest. For instance, it included a plan to intensify the global protests against the Indian government from February 21-26. Fearmongering about the Indian government's response, it stated, “International focus on these protests may be the only thing preventing more state-sponsored violence and another massacre/genocide in India".
After the tweet and its contents were highlighted by Republic Media Network at 8:04 pm on Wednesday, Thunberg deleted it by 9:27 pm the very same day. Subsequently, she posted an updated version of the document which is a toned-down version of the original one. However, it continued the slander against the country saying, "India has a long history of human rights violations, violence, and a cruel indifference for its most vulnerable citizens".
MEA takes a tough stance
Tweeting on the agitation against the three farm laws and the suspension of the internet at the protest sites a day earlier, Barbadian pop star Rihanna had questioned, "why aren’t we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest." Similarly, environmental activist Greta Thunberg and US Vice President Kamala Harris's niece Meena Harris also expressed their support for the farmers' cause in India. This sparked outrage as these comments were seen as foreign meddling in India's internal affairs.
In a strongly-worded statement, the MEA made it clear that the farm reforms were enacted by the Parliament after a full debate and discussion. Maintaining that only a very small section of farmers have reservations about these laws, it mentioned that the Centre has not only conducted 11 rounds of talks with farm unions but also offered to keep the implementation of the laws on hold. The MEA lamented that "vested groups" were trying to derail the protests despite this scenario.
To buttress its point, it highlighted the violence that took place in the national capital during the farmers' tractor rally. Moreover, the Ministry linked the desecration of Mahatma Gandhi statues in different parts of the world to the instigation by fringe elements seeking to mobilize international support against India. It called upon the foreign entities and individuals to ascertain the facts before "rushing to comment" on such matters. According to the MEA, celebrities resorting to sensationalist hashtags and comments is "neither accurate nor responsible".
Updated 17:49 IST, February 4th 2021