London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Indian farmers' protest: Activists burn photos of Greta Thunberg over her support for demonstrators

Indian farmers' protest: Activists burn photos of Greta Thunberg over her support for demonstrators

Greta Thunberg is one of a number of high-profile people who have used their star power to shed light on the cause of the farmers.

Police in India are probing a controversial "toolkit" for supporting the country's ongoing farmer protests in the country, tweeted by Greta Thunberg, as angry pro-government activists took to the streets to burn photos of the teenager.

The toolkit - which contained documents guiding people on how to support the protests - was cited in a case filed by Delhi Police, Indian broadcaster NDTV reports.

The case levies charges of sedition, overseas conspiracy, and an attempt to "promote enmity between groups" against the creators of the toolkit, but does not name the 18-year-old climate champion.

However, the case does mention a tweet she sent on Wednesday, sharing the toolkit to her 4.8m followers. She deleted the tweet soon after, but later shared an updated version of the toolkit.


According to NDTV, Delhi Police referred to her tweet in documents that state "one account" had posted a toolkit that "exposes the conspiracy by an organised overseas network" to instigate the farmer protests.

Thunberg has since tweeted again in support of the protests, saying: "I still #StandWithFarmers and support their peaceful protest. No amount of hate, threats or violations of human rights will ever change that."

The influential climate activist, who shot to fame when she started going on strike from school in 2018, is just one of a group of high-profile people who have used their star power to shed light on the cause of farmers, who say reforms introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government in September will ruin their livelihoods.

Popstar Rihanna, US Vice President Kamala Harris's niece Meena, and Lebanese American model Mia Khalifa have also showed their solidarity with the farmers.

However, western support for the farmers has drawn anger from leaders and pro-government activists.

Rihanna - who has over 100 million Twitter followers - has shown her solidarity with protesting Indian farmers


Senior government ministers, Indian celebrities and even the foreign ministry have urged people to come together and denounce outsider interference.

"It is unfortunate to see vested interest groups trying to enforce their agenda on these protests, and derail them," India's foreign ministry said, in a rare statement criticising "foreign individuals" posting on social media.

On Thursday, activists from United Hindu Front took to the streets burning effigies of Rihanna and Thunberg.

The reason for the protests is that the new laws around the sale, pricing and storage of produce will - according to the aggrieved farmers - leave growers vulnerable to exploitation by big private companies.

The reforms will allow retailers to buy directly from the farmers, throwing doubt over the previously guaranteed prices they would expect to receive for their crops.

Farmers in front of the historic Red Fort during a protest


Tens of thousands of farmers have been living in makeshift camps on the outskirts of New Delhi for several months and say they will remain in place until the new laws are repealed.

However, Mr Modi says the changes are necessary to modernise Indian farming.

Clashes between those demonstrating and government forces last week left one protester dead and nearly 400 police officers injured.

In response, authorities - who are notoriously sensitive to any form of public criticism - suspended internet access to several areas around the capital, and have previously blocked the Twitter accounts of farmers' leaders and activists.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
Ukraine Declares De Facto War on Hungary and Slovakia with Terror Drone Strikes on Their Gas Lifeline
Animated K-pop Musical ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Becomes Netflix’s Most-Watched Original Animated Film
New York Appeals Court Voids Nearly $500 Million Civil Fraud Penalty Against Trump While Upholding Fraud Liability
Elon Musk tweeted, “Europe is dying”
Far-Right Activist Convicted of Incitement Changes Gender and Demands: "Send Me to a Women’s Prison" | The Storm in Germany
Hungary Criticizes Ukraine: "Violating Our Sovereignty"
Will this be the first country to return to negative interest rates?
Child-free hotels spark controversy
North Korea is where this 95-year-old wants to die. South Korea won’t let him go. Is this our ally or a human rights enemy?
Hong Kong Launches Regulatory Regime and Trials for HKD-Backed Stablecoins
China rehearses September 3 Victory Day parade as imagery points to ‘loyal wingman’ FH-97 family presence
Trump Called Viktor Orbán: "Why Are You Using the Veto"
Horror in the Skies: Plane Engine Exploded, Passengers Sent Farewell Messages
MSNBC Rebrands as MS NOW Amid Comcast’s Cable Spin-Off
AI in Policing: Draft One Helps Speed Up Reports but Raises Legal and Ethical Concerns
Shame in Norway: Crown Princess’s Son Accused of Four Rapes
Apple Begins Simultaneous iPhone 17 Production in India and China
A Robot to Give Birth: The Chinese Announcement That Shakes the World
Finnish MP Dies by Suicide in Parliament Building
Outrage in the Tennis World After Jannik Sinner’s Withdrawal Storm
William and Kate Are Moving House – and the New Neighbors Were Evicted
Class Action Lawsuit Against Volkswagen: Steering Wheel Switches Cause Accidents
Taylor Swift on the Way to the Super Bowl? All the Clues Stirring Up Fans
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Apple Expands Social Media Presence in China With RedNote Account Ahead of iPhone 17 Launch
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Cambridge Dictionary Adds 'Skibidi,' 'Delulu,' and 'Tradwife' Amid Surge of Online Slang
Bill Barr Testifies No Evidence Implicated Trump in Epstein Case; DOJ Set to Release Records
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
The CEO Who Replaced 80% of Employees for the AI Revolution: "I Would Do It Again"
Emails Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Character.ai Bets on Future of AI Companionship
China Ramps Up Tax Crackdown on Overseas Investments
Japanese Office Furniture Maker Expands into Bomb Shelter Market
Intel Shares Surge on Possible U.S. Government Investment
Hurricane Erin Threatens U.S. East Coast with Dangerous Surf
EU Blocks Trade Statement Over Digital Rule Dispute
EU Sends Record Aid as Spain Battles Wildfires
JPMorgan Plans New Canary Wharf Tower
Zelenskyy and his allies say they will press Trump on security guarantees
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Escalating Clashes in Serbia as Anti-Government Protests Spread Nationwide
The Drought in Britain and the Strange Request from the Government to Delete Old Emails
Category 5 Hurricane in the Caribbean: 'Catastrophic Storm' with Winds of 255 km/h
"No, Thanks": The Mathematical Genius Who Turned Down 1.5 Billion Dollars from Zuckerberg
The surprising hero, the ugly incident, and the criticism despite victory: "Liverpool’s defense exposed in full"
Digital Humans Move Beyond Sci-Fi: From Virtual DJs to AI Customer Agents
YouTube will start using AI to guess your age. If it’s wrong, you’ll have to prove it
Jellyfish Swarm Triggers Shutdown at Gravelines Nuclear Power Station in Northern France
×