It happens all the time: peaceful protests turn ugly.
We note this since the Battle of Seattle, back in 1999, when demonstrators took to the streets protesting the World Trade Organization meeting that was being held in the city. It was by far the largest demonstration in the United States when over 40,000 people marched against economic globalization, which protesters saw as the beginning of the end of domestic manufacturing.
The protests, peaceful at first, suddenly turned ugly when agent provocateurs smashed windows, blocked streets… and grabbed the headlines.
That was it. The Presstitutes grabbed the violence of a few and dismissed the cause of why so many rose against what they saw as the destruction of U.S. manufacturing.
Fast Forward
The same has now happened in India. Since November, farmers have been peacefully protesting against a new farm bill they say enriches big conglomerates and will put many of the 145 small farmers out of business.
The standoff between India’s farmers and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led to a violent confrontation last week that included tens of thousands of tractors entering New Delhi to protest the bill.
The New York Times reported that police in the city fired tear gas into the crowds, and the protests got out of hand. The next day, leaders representing the farmers blamed the violence on India’s Republic Day, a “dirty conspiracy” by infiltrators to destabilize the peaceful movement. One protester was killed and 400 police officers were hurt.
“The law will take its course,” Modi said.
The violence from the protest at the country’s Red Fort threatens to split the movement. The NYT reported that at least two of these groups said they would leave the protest due to the outbreak of violence. To date, some 25 farmers have died during the protests, mainly due to natural causes and from being outside in the elements.
Protesters say Modi’s push for deregulations means the government could end paying a minimum support price for their goods. Farmers have blocked roads and burned their crops in response to the legislation.
Agriculture is a major part of the country’s economy and supports, directly and indirectly, more than 60 percent of the country’s population of 1.3 billion. (The report noted this represents only 15 percent of India’s economic output.)
On Saturday, farmers across the country took part in a day-long hunger strike to coincide with the anniversary of the death of Mohandas Gandhi, the Los Angeles Times reported.
The New York Times reported that many protesters vowed to fight on.
“We should not give a message that we are tired, that we are going home,” one protester told a few hundred other demonstrators. “We will start over today, with full unity.”
Censorship
Yesterday, Prime Minister Modi ordered the police and military to dig ditches and spread razor wire across main roads into New Delhi to keep the farmers from entering the capital.
To stop the protesters’ words from spreading, Modi’s government blocked internet and messaging services throughout the area. “The government has increased security to avoid any clash or violence when parliament is in session.” The senior “official” quoted by Al Jazeera said it was done to “keep everyone safe and avoid any escalation in tensions,” or, in plain language, quell dissent and stop the protest movement.
Making it clear he would not back down, on Sunday, Modi said, “The government is committed to modernizing agriculture and is also taking many steps in that direction.”
TREND FORECAST: Earlier this month, the world witnessed a group of angry protesters breaks onto the sacred ground of their government when they gathered in Washington, D.C. to protest what they claimed was a rigged presidential election.
As with the Battle of Seattle, which we noted above, and the India protests, it was a small group that caused the damage compared to the huge masses that were protesting. The media and government rulers focused on the damage from the small groups to divert attention from the major underlying reasons for the rallies.
These Indian farmers, much like the pro-Trump protesters, believe their voices are not being heard. And, as with the Trump supporters, they, too, blame outside agitators for the violence.
As we have noted from the Battle of Seattle and the 6 January Capitol riot, ruling powers capitalize on these violent aspects of events, while the protests tend to dissolve and lose cohesion.
However, when people lose everything and have nothing left to lose, they lose it. Thus, with the Indian farmers believing the new law will devastate their future, we forecast this and other fights for economic equality will continue in India and other nations as the world sinks further into the “Greatest Depression.”
