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Even though Kamala Harris has not yet officially taken charge of White House, her name is already taking prominence in international affairs. H/T BBC news:
India farmers: Misleading content shared about the protests
By Shruti Menon
BBC Reality Check
1 day ago
Farmers in northern India have been demonstrating near the capital, Delhi, against new farming reforms which they believe will endanger their livelihoods.
These protests have prompted a flurry of misinformation online, shared by politicians from across party lines, and by individuals both for and against the farmers.
We've looked into a few of those misleading claims.
Kamala Harris has not publicly backed farmers' protest
A fake screenshot of US vice-president-elect Kamala Harris apparently extending support to the protesting farmers in India has been shared on Facebook.
It shows a tweet - seemingly under her Twitter handle - alongside text which reads: "We are shocked to see the Indian government's suppression of farmers protesting new laws which will endanger their livelihood. Instead of using water cannons and tear gas, the Indian government needs to engage in open dialogue with farmers."
But Facebook has put a warning on the post, stating it has been manipulated.
Ms Harris, the daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica, has not commented on these protests, on either her personal or official Twitter accounts.
Her media team responded to our enquiry about the post with a brief statement, informing us: "Yes, this is fake."
A Canadian MP called Jack Harris (no relation) did tweet in support of the Indian farmers on 27 November. The text in his tweet exactly matches the text in the one falsely attributed to Kamala Harris.
There have been public expressions of concern about the police response to the farmers' protest from Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada, where there is a significant Indian population.
Mr Trudeau's remarks were rebuffed by the Indian government, which said they were "ill-informed."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-55157714
Related
As U.S. Votes, a Village in India Prays for Kamala Harris
Those who live in the hometown of Ms. Harris’s grandfather see the Democratic vice-presidential nominee as one of their own. “She is the daughter of the village’s soil,” one woman said.
A billboard offering good wishes for Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, in Thulasendrapuram, India. Her grandfather was born in the village.Credit...Aijaz Rahi/Associated Press
By Jeffrey Gettleman and Suhasini Raj
Nov. 3, 2020
NEW DELHI — More than 8,000 miles from the White House, in an Indian village ringed by lush green rice paddies, several dozen people flocked into a Hindu temple, carrying roses and strings of sweet-smelling jasmine, uttering prayers for Senator Kamala Harris.
The village, Thulasendrapuram, has a special relationship to Ms. Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee. It’s where her maternal grandfather was born more than 100 years ago.
On Tuesday, Thulasendrapuram, which is about eight hours’ drive from the southern city of Chennai, pulled together in a special ceremony at the main temple to wish Ms. Harris good luck on Election Day.
Men wearing white dhotis, a sarong-like wrap, and women in bright saris draped Hindu idols with flowers and chanted hymns. As the election began to unfold in the United States, everyone was bubbly with confidence that Joseph R. Biden, the Democratic nominee for president, and Ms. Harris, would win.
“She is the daughter of the village’s soil,” said Lalitha, a housewife, who could barely contain her excitement. “The position she has attained is unbelievable.”
Although Ms. Harris has been more understated about her Indian heritage than about her experience as a Black woman, her path to the U.S. vice-presidential nomination has also been guided by the values of her Indian-born mother and her wider Indian family.
In several speeches, Ms. Harris has gushed about her Indian grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, a civil servant who inspired her with his stories about fighting for the rights of Indians to win independence from Britain.
A special prayer was offered for Ms. Harris’s electoral victory on Tuesday.
nytimes.com/2020/11/03/w...-election.html
Why Justin Trudeau Is Supporting Protesting Farmers in India
Along with balancing domestic statecraft, Trudeau also had a score or two to settle with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi.
Justin Trudeau and his family in India, 2018. Photo: Reuters
Jaspreet Oberoi
20 hours ago
On November 30, while addressing Sikh participants from across Canada, on a Zoom meeting organised to celebrate the birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest.” These words were spoken in the context of the physical force being used by the Indian police against protesting farmers, many of them Sikhs, in parts of north India.
It did not take much time for the rebuke to reach India and invoke a plethora of reactions – the Indian government strongly objected to it, calling the comments ill-informed and unwarranted, while for the farmers, especially Sikhs from Punjab, saw it as a shot in the arm. They expressed their gratitude to Justin ‘Singh’ Trudeau, as he is popularly and fondly known. Most of the Indian media condemned Trudeau for ‘interfering in the internal matter of India’.
Making these comments benefits Trudeau and the protesting farmers, but also reflects the realities of the globalised world.
Sikh political lobbying is a strong force in Canadian politics, which becomes apparent looking at the sheer numbers of public representatives. The current House of Commons has 18 Sikh MPs out of the total 338, making it a decent 5.32% share, compared to India’s 2.39% (13 Sikh MPs out of 543 in Lok Sabha). This sheer numerical logic makes all the three major federal political parties of Canada (Trudeau’s Liberals, the Conservatives and the NDP) sensitive to affairs and sentiments of the Sikh community.
India farmers: Misleading content shared about the protests
By Shruti Menon
BBC Reality Check
1 day ago
Farmers in northern India have been demonstrating near the capital, Delhi, against new farming reforms which they believe will endanger their livelihoods.
These protests have prompted a flurry of misinformation online, shared by politicians from across party lines, and by individuals both for and against the farmers.
We've looked into a few of those misleading claims.
Kamala Harris has not publicly backed farmers' protest
A fake screenshot of US vice-president-elect Kamala Harris apparently extending support to the protesting farmers in India has been shared on Facebook.
It shows a tweet - seemingly under her Twitter handle - alongside text which reads: "We are shocked to see the Indian government's suppression of farmers protesting new laws which will endanger their livelihood. Instead of using water cannons and tear gas, the Indian government needs to engage in open dialogue with farmers."
But Facebook has put a warning on the post, stating it has been manipulated.
Ms Harris, the daughter of immigrants from India and Jamaica, has not commented on these protests, on either her personal or official Twitter accounts.
Her media team responded to our enquiry about the post with a brief statement, informing us: "Yes, this is fake."
A Canadian MP called Jack Harris (no relation) did tweet in support of the Indian farmers on 27 November. The text in his tweet exactly matches the text in the one falsely attributed to Kamala Harris.
There have been public expressions of concern about the police response to the farmers' protest from Justin Trudeau, prime minister of Canada, where there is a significant Indian population.
Mr Trudeau's remarks were rebuffed by the Indian government, which said they were "ill-informed."
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-55157714
Related
As U.S. Votes, a Village in India Prays for Kamala Harris
Those who live in the hometown of Ms. Harris’s grandfather see the Democratic vice-presidential nominee as one of their own. “She is the daughter of the village’s soil,” one woman said.
A billboard offering good wishes for Kamala Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate, in Thulasendrapuram, India. Her grandfather was born in the village.Credit...Aijaz Rahi/Associated Press
By Jeffrey Gettleman and Suhasini Raj
Nov. 3, 2020
NEW DELHI — More than 8,000 miles from the White House, in an Indian village ringed by lush green rice paddies, several dozen people flocked into a Hindu temple, carrying roses and strings of sweet-smelling jasmine, uttering prayers for Senator Kamala Harris.
The village, Thulasendrapuram, has a special relationship to Ms. Harris, the Democratic vice-presidential nominee. It’s where her maternal grandfather was born more than 100 years ago.
On Tuesday, Thulasendrapuram, which is about eight hours’ drive from the southern city of Chennai, pulled together in a special ceremony at the main temple to wish Ms. Harris good luck on Election Day.
Men wearing white dhotis, a sarong-like wrap, and women in bright saris draped Hindu idols with flowers and chanted hymns. As the election began to unfold in the United States, everyone was bubbly with confidence that Joseph R. Biden, the Democratic nominee for president, and Ms. Harris, would win.
“She is the daughter of the village’s soil,” said Lalitha, a housewife, who could barely contain her excitement. “The position she has attained is unbelievable.”
Although Ms. Harris has been more understated about her Indian heritage than about her experience as a Black woman, her path to the U.S. vice-presidential nomination has also been guided by the values of her Indian-born mother and her wider Indian family.
In several speeches, Ms. Harris has gushed about her Indian grandfather, P.V. Gopalan, a civil servant who inspired her with his stories about fighting for the rights of Indians to win independence from Britain.
A special prayer was offered for Ms. Harris’s electoral victory on Tuesday.
nytimes.com/2020/11/03/w...-election.html
Why Justin Trudeau Is Supporting Protesting Farmers in India
Along with balancing domestic statecraft, Trudeau also had a score or two to settle with his Indian counterpart, Narendra Modi.
Justin Trudeau and his family in India, 2018. Photo: Reuters
Jaspreet Oberoi
20 hours ago
On November 30, while addressing Sikh participants from across Canada, on a Zoom meeting organised to celebrate the birth anniversary of the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said, “Canada will always be there to defend the right of peaceful protest.” These words were spoken in the context of the physical force being used by the Indian police against protesting farmers, many of them Sikhs, in parts of north India.
It did not take much time for the rebuke to reach India and invoke a plethora of reactions – the Indian government strongly objected to it, calling the comments ill-informed and unwarranted, while for the farmers, especially Sikhs from Punjab, saw it as a shot in the arm. They expressed their gratitude to Justin ‘Singh’ Trudeau, as he is popularly and fondly known. Most of the Indian media condemned Trudeau for ‘interfering in the internal matter of India’.
Making these comments benefits Trudeau and the protesting farmers, but also reflects the realities of the globalised world.
Sikh political lobbying is a strong force in Canadian politics, which becomes apparent looking at the sheer numbers of public representatives. The current House of Commons has 18 Sikh MPs out of the total 338, making it a decent 5.32% share, compared to India’s 2.39% (13 Sikh MPs out of 543 in Lok Sabha). This sheer numerical logic makes all the three major federal political parties of Canada (Trudeau’s Liberals, the Conservatives and the NDP) sensitive to affairs and sentiments of the Sikh community.
