Six days after the arrest of climate activist Disha Ravi from her residence in Bengaluru, international climate activist Greta Thunberg reacted to the arrest. Extending her solidarity with Disha Ravi, Greta said that a person’s rights to freedom of expression, peaceful protest and assembly are non-negotiable.
“Freedom of expression and the right to protest and assemble peacefully are non-negotiable human rights. These must be a fundamental part of any democracy,” Greta tweeted on Friday with the hashtag ‘StandWithDishaRavi’.
Greta’s response came shortly after the India chapter of Fridays for Future (FFF), a global movement inspired by her, expressed its solidarity with Disha. The 22-year-old climate activist based in Bengaluru volunteered for FFF and helped organize events in the city. FFF India called Disha an integral part of their movement. “As fellow volunteers, we would not stop to say that she is one of the best among us all. If their activism has taught us anything, it is to raise their voice in a peaceful and respectful way for those at stake, to guarantee justice for all, ”the statement read.
Read: Fridays for Future reacts to the arrest of Disha Ravi, calls her an integral part of the movement
Disha Ravi was arrested at her home in Bengaluru on February 13 by Delhi police, in connection with the case brought by them about the ‘toolkit’ or Google’s document on farmers’ protests. Greta Thunberg shared the toolbox or document online with outdated dates and then it was removed and replaced with one containing more recent dates.
It should be noted that the toolkits are nothing more than Google Docs or Word documents that are often used to organize a campaign on social media or to plan protests. A set of tools contains basic information on any topic, tweet suggestions, and information on which hashtags to use, who to tag on social media, etc. These documents are regularly used by various individuals and groups, including political parties, to organize social media campaigns and mobilize crowds.
Delhi police have come under fire for arresting Disha at her home in Bengaluru and transferring her to Delhi without a traffic warrant. Disha also approached the Delhi High Court saying she was aggrieved by the selective leaks by the police to the media, on the basis of which the HC sent notices to three channels in English and requested the police response.
Disha was sent to three days of judicial custody by a Delhi court on Friday. Disha has already spent five days in police custody.
However, Interior Minister Amit Shah justified the arrest and said age, gender, etc. they are irrelevant during an arrest. Delhi police have said the Google document was initiated by Khalistani supporters, including the Poetic Justice Foundation in Canada, with the intent to smear and attack India.
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