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Jamadi ul II 16,1442 Jan 29, 2021
in d ia / C A po l itics
All about Nishan Sahib, the saffron flag hoisted by protesting farmers at Red Fort Continued from page 1
to power in 2014. The body of one protester draped in an Indian tricolour lay in a central Delhi street after the tractor he rode overturned in one of the clashes, said a witness, Vishu Arora. “He died right there,” Arora added. A Reuters witness saw at least five police and three protesters injured at the
Red Fort from whose ramparts Modi delivers an annual speech. Some of those who scaled its walls carried ceremonial swords, overwhelming police who were trying to prevent them from entering. The government ordered internet services in some parts of the capital to be blocked, according to mobile carrier Vodafone Idea, in an attempt to prevent further unrest.
Lost control
Tens of thousands of bearded and turbanned farmers, many bundled against the winter cold, began the day in a convoy of tractors festooned with Indian and union flags along the city’s fringes. But hundreds of protesters soon broke away from pre-approved routes, heading for the city centre where the government was holding an annual Republic Day parade of troops and military hardware on Tuesday morning. “Modi will hear us now, he will have to hear us now,” said Sukhdev Singh, 55, a farmer from the northern state of Punjab, who was among hundreds of protesters, some on horseback, who broke away from one of the three protest routes. From the city’s north they headed towards the government buildings in the centre. They commandeered cranes and used ropes to tear down roadblocks, forcing constables in riot gear to give way, Reuters witnesses said. A second group rode tractors to get to a key
central traffic junction, also breaching barricades after similar clashes with police. Hundreds also fought police outside the Delhi police headquarters. In a statement, Delhi police accused those who diverged from the agreed routes of “violence and destruction”.“They have caused great damage to public property and many police personnel have also been injured,” the statement said. Protest organiser Samyukt Kisan Morcha said the groups deviating from set routes did not represent the majority of farmers. “We also condemn and regret the undesirable and unacceptable events that have taken place today and dissociate ourselves from those indulging in such acts,” the group of farm unions said in a statement. Amarinder Singh, chief minister of Punjab state where many of the protesters came from, called the clashes “shocking”. “The violence by some elements is unacceptable,” he said in a tweet. “It’ll negate goodwill generated by peacefully protesting farmers.”
Farmer pressure
Agriculture employs about half of India’s population of 1.3 billion, and unrest among an estimated 150 million landowning farmers worries the government. Indian policemen beat farmers driving a tractor after protesting farmers and policemen clash during India’s Republic Day celebrations in New Delhi, Jan 26. — AP Nine rounds of talks with farmers’ unions have failed to end the protests, as farm leaders rejected the government’s offer to delay the laws for 18 months, making a push for repeal instead. The government says that the farmers have been manipulated by opposition parties which have largely backed the rural campaign.
“The farm organisations have a very strong hold,” said Ambar Kumar Ghosh, an analyst at New Delhi think tank the Observer Research Foundation. “They have the resources to mobilise support, and to continue the protest for a long time. They have also been very successful in keeping the protest really focused.”
‘National ment’
embarrass-
All over the city, security forces fired tear gas and staged baton charges. But the farmers also laid into police with branches and metal bars and hijacked buses that had been used to block their convoys. The US embassy released a “security alert” warning American nationals to avoid trouble zones. The government had opposed the rally saying it would be a “national embarrassment” on Republic Day. Police allowed the demonstration if farmers waited until after the military parade and kept to a route away from central Delhi. But the security was breached while Modi and other dignitaries watched tanks and troops pass along the Rajpath boulevard while newly acquired Rafale fighter jets flew overhead. Modi waved to crowds and was driven back to his residence barely 30 minutes before the fleets of tractors took over the centre.
Popular support
“We are going to show the government that we mean business,” said protester Nareesh Singh as he revved up his tractor and drove into a cloud of tear gas. Farmers’ leaders say they have enough supplies to keep their protest camps going for a year. The leaders said the police had
provoked the farmers into violence. In a statement, police replied that they had to act after the farmers broke the conditions for the rally. “When you attack a peaceful protest, then difficulties for the government will surely increase,” union leader Kawalpreet Singh Pannu told AFP. “This won’t stop here. Our movement and message have only become stronger.” He said a new protest would be held on February 1 outside parliament when the government announces its budget. On one main road, people on rooftops threw petals on the tractor convoys. Elsewhere people cheered and applauded as farmers went past waving Indian flags and blowing horns.India showcases its military hardware with a parade every year on Republic Day, which marks the adoption of its constitution in 1950. This year’s ceremonies went ahead despite security concerns. The parade was cut back because of the coronavirus pandemic, with the number of spectators reduced from 125,000 to 25,000. Smaller farmer demonstrations were held in Mumbai and Bangalore and in the rural state of Haryana. Source: dawn.com
MPs unanimously agree to urge feds to designate Proud Boys a terrorist entity
Members of Canada’s parliament have agreed to call on the federal Liberal government to formally designate the Proud Boys a terrorist entity. The motion, introduced by NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh passed with unanimous consent in the House of Commons on Monday. The motion calls upon the government to “use all available tools to address the proliferation of white supremacists and hate groups starting with the immediately designating the Proud Boys as a terrorist entity.” The NDP has for weeks been calling on Trudeau and the Liberals to “immediately ban and designate the Proud Boys as a terrorist organization.” The move comes after thousands of supporters of U.S. President Donald Trump stormed
the U.S. Capitol building on Jan. 6, leaving dozens injured and five people, including one police officer, dead. Members of the Proud Boys were reportedly present during the riot. The federal government said it is considering designating the group as a terrorist entity. “As Minister Blair has said, we strongly denounce ‘ideologically motivated extremists including groups like the Proud Boys, white supremacists, anti-Semitics, Islamaphobic and misogynist groups,’” Mary-Liz Power, a spokesperson for Public Safety Minister Bill Blair told Global News earlier this month. “Intolerance and hate have no place in our society.” Canada considers labelling Proud Boys as
terrorist group Canada considers labelling Proud Boys as terrorist group – Jan 14, 2021 Power said national security and law enforcement agencies are “very actively engaged in monitoring the activities of these groups, and gathering the evidence required to support a determination of listing as a Terrorist Organization.” Now that the motion has passed, the federal government would need to formally add them to the long list of terrorist entities. If the Proud Boys are designated as a terrorist entity, the group would be joining a long list of other organizations including the Taliban, Al Qaeda, Boko Haram and the Islamic State. Source: globalnews.ca
VANCOUVER -- The premier of British Columbia gave a stern warning Wednesday to travellers entering the province from other parts of Canada, but said he’s still not convinced stronger quarantine rules are
necessary. Manitoba announced this week that non-essential visitors will soon have to self-isolate for 14 days upon their arrival, a measure intended to slow the spread of the concerning new COVID-19 variants that have been detected in the country. But B.C. Premier John Horgan said his government isn’t planning to follow suit – at least not yet. ”Until such time as the public health officer advises me that there’s a benefit to going down that road, we’re going to leave it untravelled,” he said. “The public health evidence is not there at this time.” The premier said provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has promised to keep him informed of the evidence as it emerges.
In the meantime, Horgan stressed that he expects non-essential visitors in the province to abide by local rules and restrictions. “You better follow our public health guidelines or we’ll come down on you like a ton of bricks,” he said. Given the threat of the faster-spreading U.K. variant, which has already been detected half a dozen times in B.C., professor Fiona Brinkman from Simon Fraser University argued it could be time for a phased approach to quarantines. Brinkman, who is part of a national project tracking the variants, called the mutations “a significant concern” on the horizon. “I would argue it is the time to prepare for this,” she said. “We can combat these viral variants by simply following public health guidelines – however, the problem is people are tired.” Manitoba has set a deadline of 11:59 p.m.
‘We’ll come down on you like a ton of bricks,’ B.C. premier warns visitors who disobey guidelines
Thursday for people to return to the province and avoid the new quarantine requirement. When announcing the measure, Premier Brian Pallister cited speculation that “restrictions will have to remain for significant periods beyond this year as well because of the variant dangers.” The province’s self-isolation rule won’t apply to people entering Manitoba for essential reasons, including medical treatment. Earlier this month, the B.C. government sought legal advice regarding a potential ban on travellers coming into the province for non-essential reasons, and determined the extreme measure was not viable. But Horgan did indicate stronger restrictions could be imposed if those visitors are found to be “causing harm to the health and safety of British Columbians.” Source: bc.ctvnews.ca
