As the farmers바카라 protests grabbed international attention, a toolkit tweeted by 18-year old climate activist Greta Thunberg stirred up another controversy. This led to the arrest of Disha Ravi by the Delhi police, who described the toolkit as an 바카라action plan바카라 resulting in the farmer-police clashes on January 26. Here바카라s how it all played out:
What was Greta Thunberg바카라s tweet about?
While sharing CNN바카라s article on the internet cut around New Delhi as protesting farmers clash with police, the 18-year old climate activist, on Feb 3, tweeted, 바카라We stand in solidarity with the #FarmersProtest in India.바카라
She made another tweet in the same thread which was later deleted.
What did the deleted tweet contain?
On Feb 3, she made another tweet, 바카라Here바카라s a toolkit if you want to help바카라. In the same tweet, she shared a document titled, 바카라Global Farmers Strike - First Wave바카라. The tweet also mentioned two accounts - @FFFIndia and @XRebellionInd. The tweet, however, was deleted and a new tweet was made on Thursday claiming that the earlier document was outdated.
The Indian Express reported that the toolkit had five links, titled 바카라More Information 바카라 Important Links바카라. According to the newspaper, one of the links led to a website run by 바카라a volunteer group of individuals in Canada, the USA and the UK, who are passionate about social justice issues affecting the Indian agricultural community.바카라 Another link was to a website which describes itself as 바카라digital home to exploring geopolitics & ideas about freedom through data, writing, & technology바카라. IE notes, 바카라The link provides leads to a page titled 바카라Do I own products linked to Ambani?바카라, and mentions Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani바카라.
Which Twitter handles were mentioned in Greta바카라s tweet on the toolkit?
@FFFIndia is the Twitter handle belonging to 바카라Fridays For Future India바카라.
Fridays for Future (FFF), also called 바카라Youth Strike for Climate바카라, is an international movement of school students who skip Fridays classes to participate in demonstrations to demand action from political leaders to take action to prevent climate change. It has active local groups in 7,500 cities spanning across all the continents with more than 1 crore 40 lakh members.
The handle @XRebellionInd, on the other hand, belongs to Extinction Rebellion India. Extinction Rebellion (abbreviated as XR) is a global environmental movement with a total of 1145 groups in 75 countries which aims at nonviolent civil disobedience to compel government action to avoid tipping points in the climate system, biodiversity loss, and the risk of social and ecological collapse.
What did the new tweet contain?
On Feb 4, Greta tweeted, 바카라Here바카라s an updated toolkit by people on the ground in India if you want to help. (They removed their previous document as it was outdated.)바카라 She also shared the link to the updated toolkit.
What does the updated toolkit have?
The toolkit is a 바카라document meant to enable anyone unfamiliar with the ongoing farmers바카라 protests in India to better understand the situation and make decisions on how to support the farmers based on their own analysis.바카라
The document clamours for the farmers바카라 profile in India citing the agriculture census of 2015-16. It calls attention to the farmer suicides in India, 바카라lack of structural support바카라 and 바카라absence of solutions바카라 to these 바카라deeply-rooted problems바카라. It alleges that the new farm laws 바카라were passed without any consultation with these farmers바카라. The document also the finger at the 바카라large corporations and international institutions바카라 which are not only 바카라destroying the planet바카라 but are also 바카라taking over the lives of our country's most populous and important demographic바카라.
The toolkit guides about the URGENT ACTIONS and PRIOR ACTIONS required to support the farmers바카라 protests.
The URGENT ACTIONS call for tweeting in support of the Indian Farmers and using hashtags #FarmersProtest #StandWithFarmers, signing online petitions and calling/emailing the govt representatives and asking them to take action. It also appeals to 바카라organise an on-ground action near the closest Indian Embassy, Media House or your local Govt. office on 13th/14th February 2021S and 바카라share pictures on social media바카라.
The PRIOR ACTIONS press for participating in 바카라Digital Strike: #AskIndiaWhy바카라 and tagging 바카라@PMOIndia, @nstomar, heads of state & others who ought to take note, like the IMF, WTO, FAO, World Bank바카라 in the solidarity tweets. It also appeals to 바카라read more about the issue바카라 and 바카라watch out for (or Join) the Farmers바카라 March / Parade (a first of its kind) into Delhi and back to the borders.바카라
What did the Delhi Police say?
The Delhi Police Cyber Crime Cell on Feb 4, filed an FIR on the creators of the 바카라toolkit바카라 accusing them of waging a 바카라social, cultural and economic war against the Government of India바카라. Special CP (Crime Branch) Praveer Ranjan claimed, 바카라The unfolding of events over the past few days, including the violence of 26th January, has revealed copycat execution of the 바카라action plan바카라 detailed in the tool kit바카라.
He added that a preliminary enquiry into the matter revealed that the toolkit seems to have been created by the Poetic Justice Foundation (PJF). He further alleged that PJF is a pro-Khalistani organisation. PJF, however, issued a statement stating that the organization 바카라did not coordinate any protest activities occurring within India바카라. They further clarified, 바카라We were not involved in directing or fomenting any protest activity of any sort in India바카라
Have such toolkits been used before, in other protests?
Such toolkits aim at the non-violent and peaceful global mobilization of people over a local cause, primarily, human rights violation. They aid the people to fight a dual battle - digital and on-ground. In the past, such toolkits have been made and circulated during many major protests across the world like the Occupy Wall Street protests of 2011, the Hong Kong protests of 2019, anti-CAA protests in India and several climate protests.
The toolkits alarm the protestors on the anticipated responses by the state like using batons, tear gas, pepper spray and rubber bullets on protesters. They also guide them on how to avoid such adverse situations. It was one such toolkit that advised the protesters in Hong Kong to wear masks and helmets to avoid being recognised and ways to put out tear gas shells.
During the anti-CAA protests, toolkits were shared on WhatsApp and social media, suggesting Twitter hashtags for the digital campaign, places to hold protests, and a guide on what to do and carry with you if you are detained by the police.
How was Disha Ravi linked to the toolkit?
The 21-year-old BBA student Disha Ravi has been accused of sharing the "toolkit" on social media. Ravi is a climate activist and one of the founding members of the Fridays For Future India.
According to the statement by Anil Mittal, Additional Public Relations Officer (Delhi Police), 바카라She was one of the editors of the toolkit Google Doc and a key conspirator in the document's formulation and dissemination."
The question, however, remains in whether sharing a toolkit or guidelines for organizing a peaceful protest can be described as a seditious act.
