Protest march (#NZAgainst_CAA_NCR_NRP, #HumDekhenge #Azadi)
Sunday 19th January 12 noon to 2 pm from Jean Batten
Place to Myers Park.
Songs and slogans, no speeches.
On 11th December 2019 the Government of India legislated the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) that offers citizenship to ‘illegal migrants’ from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh based on their religion but specifically excludes Muslims. This is an unconstitutional and discriminatory act that goes against the very spirit and soul of India. The CAA cannot be seen in isolation from the National Register of Citizens that has already been implemented in the state of Assam and has caused much unrest as well as made stateless several millions. Now the National Population Register, that is intended to document every citizen of India, has every reason to be exploited where Muslims and Dalits will be marked as doubtful citizens if they cannot produce papers to show who they are. Millions can become homeless, landless and stateless.
Huge protests are taking place across India at this moment with students and women taking the lead. The Government of India has retaliated with violent crackdowns on the protestors, even entering varsity campuses to vandalise libraries and beat up students.
A group of Indians have organised a march to stand up against the legislation, to condemn state sanctioned police brutality in India, to show solidarity to Indian students and to save the Constitution of India.
The BJP, the current ruling party in India, is a Hindu nationalist party whose founders openly idolised Adolf Hitler. (https://www.jstor.org/stable/4408848?seq=1 also refer to Hindu Nationalism in India by Christoph Jaffrelot, 1996).
Hindutva, the right wing fascist ideology of the BJP is akin to white supremacy. This is the hatred that led to the shootings on 15th March ten months ago. This hatred will disrupt the social fabric of South Asia and have ripple effects across Asia and beyond ultimately making its way to Aotearoa.
India today is very much like when Nazi Germany was on the brink of war and when the Jews were forced to wear yellow stars before they were sent to concentration camps.
It is time for us in New Zealand to recognise this situation. Indians are more than Diwali, bhangra, saris and samosas. The kaupapa of our protest march is to shine a light on the current state of affairs in India, to bring this to the notice of PM Jacinda Ardern so she can show global leadership by condemning the fascist Government of India.
Please join us at this protest.
Event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/468701007124564/