On Tuesday, the Barbados-born superstar asked his 100 million followers: “Why aren’t we talking about this ?!” and linked to a CNN story examining how India cut off Internet access in New Delhi after violent clashes between police and farmers protesting the new agricultural laws passed in September.
Farmers argue that the laws will destroy their livelihoods and create an opportunity for large private companies to exploit the agricultural sector.
Internet restrictions came “in the interest of maintaining public safety and preventing public emergencies,” according to the Interior Ministry, after the weekend’s violence saw dozens of police officers injured and one protester killed, police officials said.
More than half of India’s active population comes from the agricultural sector, according to India’s most recent census in 2011. The laws can affect millions of Indian farmers and consumers, and can also impact global consumers who depend on India for ingredients. like pepper and saffron and pepper.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the new laws will give farmers a chance to decide their own prices and sell them directly to private companies, such as supermarket chains. This, he says, would eliminate the middleman, in this case the Agricultural Products Market Committee.
Farmers argue that the new laws will help large companies lower prices. They say that although farmers can sell their crops at higher prices if there is demand, they may experience problems with lower prices in years when there is a lot of supply on the market.
The Indian Supreme Court has suspended agricultural laws until further notice.
The tweet heard around the world
A few hours after Rihanna’s message, Greta Thunberg, the Swedish teenager known for her climate activism, said via Twitter that she expressed herself “in solidarity with the #FarmersProtests in India”.
More celebrities and athletes followed suit.
Los Angeles Lakers striker Kyle Kuzma repeated Rihanna on Twitter, saying, “We should be talking about this!” AND Juju Smith-Schuster, a Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver, showed his support by donating $ 10,000 to provide medical assistance to needy farmers.
The Indian government seemed to notice the celebrities’ attention around the protests and issued a statement criticizing those who came to help farmers online.
“Before we rush to comment on such matters, we ask that the facts be verified and that an adequate understanding of the issues in question is carried out,” Anurag Srivastava, spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a statement on Wednesday. “The temptation of hashtags and sensational comments from social media, especially when used by celebrities and others, is neither accurate nor responsible.”
Several Bollywood celebrities like Akshay Kumar, Karan Johar and Suneil Shetty defended the Indian government. Kumar asked people to “support a friendly resolution, instead of paying attention to anyone who makes a difference”, and Shetty asked people to “have a comprehensive view of things, as there is nothing more dangerous than half the truth” .
Despite the observations of the Indian government, Thunberg doubled down On thursday. “I still #StandWithFarmers and support your peaceful protest,” she tweeted. “No amount of hatred, threats or human rights violations are going to change that. #FarmersProtest.”