Well into its third month, the farmers’ protests in India continue.
Last week, Twitter found itself at odds with government officials who demanded that the social media platform block some pro-farmer handles.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Twitter conducted an investigation and found some of the accounts it had restricted in the country should be allowed. The Indian government, in turn, vowed legal action that could result in criminal charges against the company and its employees.
A top official from New Delhi’s Ministry of Electronics held a virtual meeting with two executives from the U.S.-based company. The government later issued a statement that expressed “deep disappointment” on Twitter. The company said it partially complied with the order to remove more than 1,100 accounts India claimed were being propped up by “Khalistan sympathizers” and its rival Pakistan.
Twitter said it restored some accounts “in a matter that we believe was consistent with Indian law,” according to CNBC.
The Protests
As we have been reporting since they began in November, India’s farmers have taken to the streets, non-stop, in protest of Prime Minister Modi’s new farm laws. They contend that the laws, conceived in September, strip them of earning potential and allow major conglomerates to crush their businesses.
The Modi administration disagrees with the protesters and their demands, insisting the new laws are urgent and allow farmers to increase earning potential.
Modi’s governing Bharatiya Janata Party cut off electricity and water near some of the camps, blocked internet access in some parts of the country, and erected barbed wire and planting spikes in the streets to keep the tractors from coming into New Delhi.
Lately, the protests have attracted attention from international celebrities such as singer Rihanna and the young Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg. Hundreds of thousands of farmers have been braving the country’s winter months since November and have been occupying roads leading into New Delhi.
TREND-TRACKING LESSON: The success of the farmers’ protests is evidenced in their resolve to peacefully fight for their rights without backing down. As Gerald Celente continues to note, one of the most important elements of protests is to continue with them day after day, night after night, week after week, month after month… however long it takes to win the battle.
Unlike India’s farmers, who work with their hands and are strong and hearty, today’s demonstrators in the Western world take to the streets one day, make a big deal about it, and then they go home. For success to be achieved, the resolve to protest must continue until demands are satisfactorily met.
TREND FORECAST: Considering the scope and depth of the farmers’ protests, unless an agreement is made that satisfies farmers’ demands, we forecast the ruling government will do what it can to crack down on dissent by violently attempting to disperse them, using agents provocateurs to ignite violence and/or false-flag events as an excuse to militarily disband them.
