According to russia tv station (RT) reported on the 3rd, after american singer Rihanna, Swedish "environmental girl" Greta Thunberg and others tweeted in support of the ongoing peasant protests in India, India's top movie stars fought back against Western celebrities "meddling" in India's affairs.
Infographic: Rihanna
Pop star Rihanna shared on Twitter on February 2 a CNN report about a "disconnection" from Haryana, which borders the Indian capital, after clashes between Indian farmers and police, and wrote: "Why don't we talk about it?" Subsequently, Swedish environmental protection girl Thunberg and others responded to her appeal.
Screenshot of Rihanna's tweet
Farmers' protests in India turned violent last week, with dozens of police officers injured and at least one protester dead in clashes in New Delhi. The protests were sparked by a controversial agricultural reform bill that some Indian farmers said would open up Indian markets to foreign countries exploiting them. However, the Indian government insists that the reforms will actually increase farmers' production because they open markets to private investment while providing producers with more options for buyers of agricultural products.
Some of India's top stars in Bollywood have sided with the government. Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Karan Johar and others have defended the government, with some sharing press releases issued by India's Foreign Ministry calling on their fans to oppose foreign interference and using the hashtag "#印度反对宣传" .
On social media Twitter, more Indian celebrities posted in response to posts by Western celebrities. In response to Rihanna's tweet, former Indian cricketer Pragyan Ojha said: "Our country is proud of our farmers and knows their importance. I believe this issue will be resolved soon and we don't need an outsider to interfere in our internal affairs! ”
Screenshot of former Indian cricketer responding to Rihanna's tweet
Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut's response was more strident. "Nobody talks about it because they're not farmers, they're terrorists trying to divide India," she tweeted. Sit down, you fools, we will not betray our country like you fools. ”
In response to Thunberg's statement, Indian news show host Sudhir Chaudhary said, "Protesting farmers do not want to punish the burning of straw that turns Delhi into a gas chamber every year." Does 'climate activist' Greta Thunberg know this, or does she tweet her support just to get attention? He also accused the teenage environmental activist of gushing about "half-baked knowledge."
Screenshot of a tweet by Indian news show host Sudir Chowdhury
India's foreign ministry said in a statement issued on Wednesday that "stop meddling" is the indian government's official position on the protests, "unfortunately, (we) see vested interests trying to impose their agenda on these protests and derail them" and accuse these groups of trying to "mobilize international support against India".
The statement also added, "Those sensational hashtags and comments on social media, especially when celebrities and others get involved, are neither accurate nor responsible." India's foreign ministry insisted that only a "very small fraction of the peasants" had participated in the protests.