“This abuse has found a home on the internet. We have seen right-wing extremists call for the shooting of farmers, for the genocide of Sikhs“
Neelam Kaur Gill
It’s now coming into the sixth month of a long and painful battle between the farmers of India and their government, after new agriculture laws, that seem to favour large corporations at the detriment of the small farmer’s livelihood, were unveiled back in August, sparking outrage and protest from the people affected.
The farmers fear the three new laws will leave them vulnerable to exploitation and will devastate their earnings, as the laws were introduced to incentivise private participation through deregulation of production, movement and sale – something that threatens the small and medium-scale farmers businesses and livelihoods with the possibility of manipulation and unfair prices. This is another blow to the people of India’s largest employer, as the climate crisis has already taken a large toll on the agricultural sector, and with no chance for open discussion on a topic that would impact hundreds of thousands of Indians, these farmers took to protest.
For months now, through cold and struggle, farmers have been protesting to get these laws repealed, taking to mass demonstrations, highway camping and other peaceful methods to get their points across. A lot of these protests have been spearheaded by the women of the farming industry, as the majority of working women in India are employed by agriculture, and a women farmers’ day was declared amongst the protests to commemorate this statistic.
The protests turned violent towards the end of January when a storm of Delhi’s Red Fort ended in the death of a protester and the detainment of over 200 more. Some peaceful demonstrations have been met with brutal force too, with images of police brutality and suppression from the authorities circling social media, causing Humanitarian Aid Organisations such as Khalsa Aid to appeal for discipline and adherence to be maintained by the government.
The Indian government continued to inhibit peaceful protestors this past weekend by blocking mobile internet services around the New Delhi area, preventing protestors from communicating and gathering during a hunger strike, organised to resume more peaceful demonstrations. This internet shutdown was criticised all over international social media, sparking statements and solidarity for protestors from the likes of Rihanna, Greta Thunberg and Meena Harris.
Such tweets were met with a mix of comments for and against the protests, some going as far as threats against these supporters, something sadly becoming a common and relentless occurrence surrounding the events, as particularly women in the South Asian diaspora have received online abuse for supporting the protests. Fashion model Neelam Kaur Gill was one of the women targeted, speaking up about it in a recent statement posted to social media:
“This abuse has found a home on the internet. We have seen right-wing extremists call for the shooting of farmers, for the genocide of Sikhs. And, many women including myself have received relentless abuse online including sexual harassment, intimidation and death threats.”
But the supportive voices continue, as South Asian and Sikh communities all over the world along with allies to the cause have protested and defended out of solidarity for the farmers protesting.
What You Can Do To Help
Like Neelam Kaur Gill said in her statement, “Each like, comment and share has amplified the voice of farmers and labourers into the halls of power – media, parliaments and beyond.” Using any platform you have to share the stories and events of the last 5 months and the movement’s continuation will raise awareness for the matter and help to get these farmers’ needs met.
Change.org have a petition to get the law revoked, that only requires a signature, or if you want to donate, the following organisations are supporting Indian farmers.
Fundraiser for medical facilities, created by https://unitedsikhmission.org/
saveindianfarmers.org runs several projects to aid Indian farmers inside and outside of this movement, providing support with everything from rural education to water conservation.
Khalsa Aid are supporting the protests on the ground, working closely with the organisers.They aren’t currently requesting funds but are continuing to support and share their work, and will share any projects when approached.
Words by Daisy Greetham
