Yet another controversy as Twitter CEO hails Rihanna's farmers' protest tweet

Responding to Twitter chief Jack Dorsey's endorsement of US popstar Rihanna's stand on farmers, experts in India have called it an instance of "celebrity activism" without "understanding" issues in India. A report by Chandrakala Choudhury, Senior Correspondent, ETV Bharat.

New Delhi:After India condemned the move by international celebrities who drew attention to the farmers' protest on social media, the CEO of Twitter Jack Dorsey liked tweets hailing Rihanna for her stand on the farmers' stir. This has sparked another controversy, especially at a time when Twitter is under fire.

The actions by Dorsey, who is not new to controversy, can be viewed as a political move over the farmers' protest, at a time when the Indian Government has been aggressive in its efforts to push back against international celebrities including Greta Thunberg and singing sensation Rihanna.

"In my view, CEO of Twitter, Jack Dorsey, should have eluded these kinds of support to international celebrities including Greta Thunberg and Rihanna. As he is holding such a position in the organisation, his act will not only degrade the credibility but also hamper the image of being unbiasedness", former ambassador Ashok Sajjanhar told ETV Bharat.

Further, the former ambassador maintained that this was not the first time that the CEO of the micro-blogging site expressed his personal opinion but earlier also he uttered his personal belief.

"It also sends a clear message to India that the social media platforms, if they are acted against our national interest, we need to develop our own platform. We have all capabilities to develop our own platforms similar to Facebook and Twitter which have the same freedom of speech and expression", added Sajjanhar.

An expert opined that such actions are a part of celebrity activism, where without understanding the issue, they want to be a part of it.

Professor Harsh V Pant, Director, Studies and Head of the Strategic Studies Programme at Observer Research Foundation, New Delhi said, "None of these people understands what is going on in India or has any comprehension of the Indian situation. But I think this is to be expected in this day and age where people often react to such things. But the question is how India and other countries would be able to tackle a big tech company like Twitter."

"There is certainly bias as some comments are deemed as more unacceptable than others. In the larger context, this is simply celebrity activism but its impact on the debates in India will certainly happen because it leads to greater polarization and greater challenges emerging in the public policy space”, he pointed out.

Washington Post journalist Karen Attiah's tweets about Rihanna have received several likes including Dorsey's. "Rihanna has raised her voice for social justice movements in Sudan, Nigeria, and now India, and Myanmar. She is a real one," she had tweeted.

Attiah in one of her tweets also demanded a dedicated Twitter emoji for the massive farmers' protests in India like that of international protests over George Flyod’s brutal killing in the US.

"Now is a good time as ever for @Twitter and @Jack to add a Twitter emoji to the massive #Farmersprotests in India-like they did for historic international protests like #blacklivesmatter and #EndSars," she tweeted. The tweet was in fact 'liked' by Dorsey.

Teen climate and environmental activist Greta Thunberg and international pop icon Rihanna had tweeted about the farmers' protest that received criticism from the Indian netizens and the Government of India. Several Bollywood stars and cricket celebrities including Sachin Tendulkar slammed Rihanna, Greta and others for tweeting.

Condemning the move, the Ministry of External Affairs in a statement had earlier said that it is unfortunate to see vested interest groups trying to enforce their agenda on these protests, and derail them.

Some of these vested interest groups have also tried to mobilise international support against India. Instigated by such fringe elements, Mahatma Gandhi statues have been desecrated in parts of the world. This is extremely disturbing for India and civilised society everywhere, it added.

"We would like to emphasise that these protests must be seen in the context of India’s democratic ethos and polity, and the efforts of the Government and the concerned farmer groups to resolve the impasse," the MEA had added.

"Before rushing to comment on such matters, we would urge that the facts be ascertained, and a proper understanding of the issues at hand is undertaken," it further said.

The Delhi Police although had filed an FIR against such move by international celebrities on Thursday but claimed that the police had not named anybody in the FIR. However, Greta, who seems unaffected by the outrage in India said that she still stands with the farmers.