Politics
Inside the politics that led India to accuse a Canadian man of paying Rihanna to tweet support of farmer protests – Toronto Star
When singer Rihanna and climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeted Feb. 2 in support of farmers in India, their combined superstardom led to a global spike in attention to the months-long protests against new agriculture laws.
This infuriated Indian government supporters, but rather than targeting the celebrities, almost every right-wing television network and publication in the country blamed one Canadian man instead.
Mo Dhaliwal, a digital marketing startup director and co-founder of the grassroots rights advocacy group Poetic Justice Foundation, is accused of paying Rihanna $2.5 million to support the farmers.
Earlier, this Vancouver-based group had worked with members of the South Asian diaspora to launch a website with information on the protests called AskIndiaWhy.com, which was referenced as part of a much larger list of online resources shared by Thunberg on Twitter.
“This turned into a convoluted conspiracy theory that was spun out of thin air by pro-government media. A day later, I learned that we paid Rihanna $2.5 million. That was an utter invention. I think they picked a reasonable number and added a decimal, and many people believed it,” Dhaliwal told the Star.
“That’s part of the mastercraft of fake news in India. It’s 100 times worse than Fox News.”
To top it off, police in India’s capital city, New Delhi, opened an investigation into the package of resources shared in Thunberg’s tweet, and without citing evidence, named Dhaliwal’s group as instigators. Police also accused them of supporting Khalistani “Sikh separatists,” who are seen as terrorists in India.
“Preliminary enquiry has revealed that the tool kit in question appears to have been created by a pro-Khalistani Organisation ‘Poetic Justice Foundation,’ ” Praveer Ranjan, Special Commissioner of Delhi Police said in a statement.
Dhaliwal told the Star his group had facilitated a webinar conversation on the Sikh self-determination movement in India. Poetic Justice Foundation creates room for dialogue about Khalistan, but doesn’t take a position on the issue. He said the police statements only further fuelled conspiracy theories and threats against him and his group members.
Dhaliwal, who is Sikh and has many friends and relatives in India, now fears he will never be able to return to the country. In recent weeks, he has received a torrent of death threats in abusive messages and phone calls.
“The calls came at all hours of the day and night, and a couple numbers had Toronto area codes. One man told me, ‘If you come to India, we’ll kill you.’ ”
Dhaliwal said he is only one of many in Canada who have voiced support for Indian farmers. His targeting seems symbolic, he says, as an attack on the South Asian diaspora as a whole to deflect attention away from the Indian government’s repression.
The farmers they support — many of them minority Sikhs from the major agricultural states of Punjab and Haryana — are demanding the repeal of new laws they say will favour large corporate farms, devastating the earnings of many farmers by cutting price supports as big corporations win out.
India’s agriculture sector employs about half of the country’s workforce. In Punjab, considered the bread basket of the country, the average farm size is approximately nine acres.
The government insists the laws will benefit farmers and boost production through private investment, but, in the face of protests, it has offered to suspend them for 18 months. The farmers want nothing less than a full repeal.
In addition, India has seen a rising tide of Hindu nationalism under Prime Minister Narendra Modi that has rankled minority groups. India is predominantly Hindu while Muslims comprise 14 per cent and Sikhs nearly 2 per cent of its nearly 1.4 billion people.
It has become increasingly difficult for Indian journalists to document these growing tensions, as they are subject to arbitrary arrest for their reporting. In 2020, Reporters Without Borders had listed India as No. 142 out of 180 countries and regions in its global press freedom ranking, having dropped two places since Modi took office in 2014.
The ongoing disputes have stirred concern among Canada’s two-million-strong South Asian community. Many have voiced opposition to India’s heavy-handed police response using water cannons, tear gas, barricades and police batons against unarmed farmers.
A significant cohort of Canadians of South Asian heritage hail from the Punjab region, with many being Sikhs with strong ties to farming communities. The issue has galvanized the diaspora to stand with the movement in social media posts, as well as through peaceful protests in cities such as Vancouver, Toronto, Sydney and Amsterdam.
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In recent weeks, right-wing media sources in India have promoted unsupported theories that Sikhs overseas are responsible for instigating the farmers’ protests as a whole, as well as an unusually violent rally in late January at Delhi’s historic Red Fort complex. This narrative has been supported by official government sources in India.
After Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau spoke out in December against the treatment of protesting farmers by Indian police, India’s foreign ministry said in a statement that the Canadian prime minister’s “intervention … encouraged gatherings of extremist activities in front of our High Commission and Consulates in Canada.”
This video was filmed in the former Star Vancouver office in 2019. Videographer: Geoff Webb
In recent weeks, many Canadians of South Asian heritage, particularly Sikhs, have felt the overwhelming weight of disinformation from propaganda outlets in India, which spurred nationalist trolls to send them threats on social media as well as other channels.
Ajay Rao, Director of the Centre for South Asian Civilizations at the University of Toronto, said this kind of harassment has been happening in Canada for years, often when individuals share research or voice opinions on political issues in India.
“Speakers invited to events at our university and others in Canada have been harassed by right-wing audience members who engage in heckling and attempts to silence critical perspectives on the Indian government,” Rao told the Star.
“It is clear that such responses are not spontaneous but are co-ordinated attempts at disruption by members of (pro-Indian government) organizations. Several of our students have also been subjected to abuse online by Hindu nationalist groups.”
Indian citizens or members of the diaspora who get smeared online as terrorists face grim repercussions, says Malavika Kasturi, a professor of South Asian history at the University of Toronto.
“They can be put in jail indefinitely under India’s draconian laws,” she said in an email to the Star.
“From the very beginning of the farmers’ protest they were falsely called terrorists, which they were not. Things reached such a stage that farmers were holding placards saying ‘We are farmers not terrorists.’ ”
While Canadians who receive abuse and smears online could pursue defamation cases, this unfairly puts the onus on victims to protect themselves, said Yousuf Syed, co-founder of the NGO Canadians Against Oppression and Persecution.
He said Canadian authorities, as well as international social media companies, should take proactive measures to respond to the dangerous effects of pro-Indian government nationalist activities.
The Canadian government should strengthen its regulations on digital platforms to increase monitoring of hate speech, while taking a close look at whether existing criminal laws are adequate, while social media companies should “come up with a framework to identify the source of propaganda, track and work with the government and police in enforcing stricter online media policies,” Syed told the Star.
In the meantime, Dhaliwal worries that the majority of the Canadian public would prefer to ignore these problems.
“Because we’re a minority in Canada, there seems to be a sense that this is some weird sectarian issue. I don’t think people register that these are Canadian citizens being attacked by a foreign nation.
“If tomorrow, the Norway government and Norwegian nationals turned around and started harassing the s— out of the Norwegian diaspora in Canada, I think we would look at it differently,” he said.
A spokesperson for Bill Blair, Minister of Public Safety, told the Star the Canadian government “takes threats to the security of individuals living in Canada very seriously.”
“While we cannot comment on any individual cases, anyone who feels threatened online or in person should report these incidents to their local police.”
Dhaliwal has filed a report about the threats he received to Vancouver police, so that there is “at least a record if something happens to me,” he said.
News
Beyoncé channels Pamela Anderson in ‘Baywatch’ for Halloween video asking viewers to vote
NEW YORK (AP) — In a new video posted early Election Day, Beyoncé channels Pamela Anderson in the television program “Baywatch” – red one-piece swimsuit and all – and asks viewers to vote.
In the two-and-a-half-minute clip, set to most of “Bodyguard,” a four-minute cut from her 2024 country album “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé cosplays as Anderson’s character before concluding with a simple message, written in white text: “Happy Beylloween,” followed by “Vote.”
At a rally for Donald Trump in Pittsburgh on Monday night, the former president spoke dismissively about Beyoncé’s appearance at a Kamala Harris rally in Houston in October, drawing boos for the megastar from his supporters.
“Beyoncé would come in. Everyone’s expecting a couple of songs. There were no songs. There was no happiness,” Trump said.
She did not perform — unlike in 2016, when she performed at a presidential campaign rally for Hillary Clinton in Cleveland – but she endorsed Harris and gave a moving speech, initially joined onstage by her Destiny’s Child bandmate Kelly Rowland.
“I’m not here as a celebrity, I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother,” Beyoncé said.
“A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in, a world where we have the freedom to control our bodies, a world where we’re not divided,” she said at the rally in Houston, her hometown.
“Imagine our daughters growing up seeing what’s possible with no ceilings, no limitations,” she continued. “We must vote, and we need you.”
The Harris campaign has taken on Beyonce’s track “Freedom,” a cut from her landmark 2016 album “Lemonade,” as its anthem.
Harris used the song in July during her first official public appearance as a presidential candidate at her campaign headquarters in Delaware. That same month, Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, publicly endorsed Harris for president.
Beyoncé gave permission to Harris to use the song, a campaign official who was granted anonymity to discuss private campaign operations confirmed to The Associated Press.
The Canadian Press. All rights reserved.
News
Justin Trudeau’s Announcing Cuts to Immigration Could Facilitate a Trump Win
Outside of sports and a “Cold front coming down from Canada,” American news media only report on Canadian events that they believe are, or will be, influential to the US. Therefore, when Justin Trudeau’s announcement, having finally read the room, that Canada will be reducing the number of permanent residents admitted by more than 20 percent and temporary residents like skilled workers and college students will be cut by more than half made news south of the border, I knew the American media felt Trudeau’s about-face on immigration was newsworthy because many Americans would relate to Trudeau realizing Canada was accepting more immigrants than it could manage and are hoping their next POTUS will follow Trudeau’s playbook.
Canada, with lots of space and lacking convenient geographical ways for illegal immigrants to enter the country, though still many do, has a global reputation for being incredibly accepting of immigrants. On the surface, Montreal, Toronto, and Vancouver appear to be multicultural havens. However, as the saying goes, “Too much of a good thing is never good,” resulting in a sharp rise in anti-immigrant sentiment, which you can almost taste in the air. A growing number of Canadians, regardless of their political affiliation, are blaming recent immigrants for causing the housing affordability crises, inflation, rise in crime and unemployment/stagnant wages.
Throughout history, populations have engulfed themselves in a tribal frenzy, a psychological state where people identify strongly with their own group, often leading to a ‘us versus them’ mentality. This has led to quick shifts from complacency to panic and finger-pointing at groups outside their tribe, a phenomenon that is not unique to any particular culture or time period.
My take on why the American news media found Trudeau’s blatantly obvious attempt to save his political career, balancing appeasement between the pitchfork crowd, who want a halt to immigration until Canada gets its house in order, and immigrant voters, who traditionally vote Liberal, newsworthy; the American news media, as do I, believe immigration fatigue is why Kamala Harris is going to lose on November 5th.
Because they frequently get the outcome wrong, I don’t take polls seriously. According to polls in 2014, Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives and Kathleen Wynne’s Liberals were in a dead heat in Ontario, yet Wynne won with more than twice as many seats. In the 2018 Quebec election, most polls had the Coalition Avenir Québec with a 1-to-5-point lead over the governing Liberals. The result: The Coalition Avenir Québec enjoyed a landslide victory, winning 74 of 125 seats. Then there’s how the 2016 US election polls showing Donald Trump didn’t have a chance of winning against Hillary Clinton were ridiculously way off, highlighting the importance of the election day poll and, applicable in this election as it was in 2016, not to discount ‘shy Trump supporters;’ voters who support Trump but are hesitant to express their views publicly due to social or political pressure.
My distrust in polls aside, polls indicate Harris is leading by a few points. One would think that Trump’s many over-the-top shenanigans, which would be entertaining were he not the POTUS or again seeking the Oval Office, would have him far down in the polls. Trump is toe-to-toe with Harris in the polls because his approach to the economy—middle-class Americans are nostalgic for the relatively strong economic performance during Trump’s first three years in office—and immigration, which Americans are hyper-focused on right now, appeals to many Americans. In his quest to win votes, Trump is doing what anyone seeking political office needs to do: telling the people what they want to hear, strategically using populism—populism that serves your best interests is good populism—to evoke emotional responses. Harris isn’t doing herself any favours, nor moving voters, by going the “But, but… the orange man is bad!” route, while Trump cultivates support from “weird” marginal voting groups.
To Harris’s credit, things could have fallen apart when Biden abruptly stepped aside. Instead, Harris quickly clinched the nomination and had a strong first few weeks, erasing the deficit Biden had given her. The Democratic convention was a success, as was her acceptance speech. Her performance at the September 10th debate with Donald Trump was first-rate.
Harris’ Achilles heel is she’s now making promises she could have made and implemented while VP, making immigration and the economy Harris’ liabilities, especially since she’s been sitting next to Biden, watching the US turn into the circus it has become. These liabilities, basically her only liabilities, negate her stance on abortion, democracy, healthcare, a long-winning issue for Democrats, and Trump’s character. All Harris has offered voters is “feel-good vibes” over substance. In contrast, Trump offers the tangible political tornado (read: steamroll the problems Americans are facing) many Americans seek. With Trump, there’s no doubt that change, admittedly in a messy fashion, will happen. If enough Americans believe the changes he’ll implement will benefit them and their country…
The case against Harris on immigration, at a time when there’s a huge global backlash to immigration, even as the American news media are pointing out, in famously immigrant-friendly Canada, is relatively straightforward: During the first three years of the Biden-Harris administration, illegal Southern border crossings increased significantly.
The words illegal immigration, to put it mildly, irks most Americans. On the legal immigration front, according to Forbes, most billion-dollar startups were founded by immigrants. Google, Microsoft, and Oracle, to name three, have immigrants as CEOs. Immigrants, with tech skills and an entrepreneurial thirst, have kept America leading the world. I like to think that Americans and Canadians understand the best immigration policy is to strategically let enough of these immigrants in who’ll increase GDP and tax base and not rely on social programs. In other words, Americans and Canadians, and arguably citizens of European countries, expect their governments to be more strategic about immigration.
The days of the words on a bronze plaque mounted inside the Statue of Liberty pedestal’s lower level, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…” are no longer tolerated. Americans only want immigrants who’ll benefit America.
Does Trump demagogue the immigration issue with xenophobic and racist tropes, many of which are outright lies, such as claiming Haitian immigrants in Ohio are abducting and eating pets? Absolutely. However, such unhinged talk signals to Americans who are worried about the steady influx of illegal immigrants into their country that Trump can handle immigration so that it’s beneficial to the country as opposed to being an issue of economic stress.
In many ways, if polls are to be believed, Harris is paying the price for Biden and her lax policies early in their term. Yes, stimulus spending quickly rebuilt the job market, but at the cost of higher inflation. Loosen border policies at a time when anti-immigrant sentiment was increasing was a gross miscalculation, much like Trudeau’s immigration quota increase, and Biden indulging himself in running for re-election should never have happened.
If Trump wins, Democrats will proclaim that everyone is sexist, racist and misogynous, not to mention a likely White Supremacist, and for good measure, they’ll beat the “voter suppression” button. If Harris wins, Trump supporters will repeat voter fraud—since July, Elon Musk has tweeted on Twitter at least 22 times about voters being “imported” from abroad—being widespread.
Regardless of who wins tomorrow, Americans need to cool down; and give the divisive rhetoric a long overdue break. The right to an opinion belongs to everyone. Someone whose opinion differs from yours is not by default sexist, racist, a fascist or anything else; they simply disagree with you. Americans adopting the respectful mindset to agree to disagree would be the best thing they could do for the United States of America.
______________________________________________________________
Nick Kossovan, a self-described connoisseur of human psychology, writes about what’s
on his mind from Toronto. You can follow Nick on Twitter and Instagram @NKossovan.
Politics
RFK Jr. says Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water. ‘It’s possible,’ Trump says
PHOENIX (AP) — Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a prominent proponent of debunked public health claims whom Donald Trump has promised to put in charge of health initiatives, said Saturday that Trump would push to remove fluoride from drinking water on his first day in office if elected president.
Fluoride strengthens teeth and reduces cavities by replacing minerals lost during normal wear and tear, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The addition of low levels of fluoride to drinking water has long been considered one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century.
Kennedy made the declaration Saturday on the social media platform X alongside a variety of claims about the heath effects of fluoride.
“On January 20, the Trump White House will advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water,” Kennedy wrote. Trump and his wife, Melania Trump, “want to Make America Healthy Again,” he added, repeating a phrase Trump often uses and links to Kennedy.
Trump told NBC News on Sunday that he had not spoken to Kennedy about fluoride yet, “but it sounds OK to me. You know it’s possible.”
The former president declined to say whether he would seek a Cabinet role for Kennedy, a job that would require Senate confirmation, but added, “He’s going to have a big role in the administration.”
Asked whether banning certain vaccines would be on the table, Trump said he would talk to Kennedy and others about that. Trump described Kennedy as “a very talented guy and has strong views.”
The sudden and unexpected weekend social media post evoked the chaotic policymaking that defined Trump’s White House tenure, when he would issue policy declarations on Twitter at virtually all hours. It also underscored the concerns many experts have about Kennedy, who has long promoted debunked theories about vaccine safety, having influence over U.S. public health.
In 1950, federal officials endorsed water fluoridation to prevent tooth decay, and continued to promote it even after fluoride toothpaste brands hit the market several years later. Though fluoride can come from a number of sources, drinking water is the main source for Americans, researchers say.
Officials lowered their recommendation for drinking water fluoride levels in 2015 to address a tooth condition called fluorosis, that can cause splotches on teeth and was becoming more common in U.S. kids.
In August, a federal agency determined “with moderate confidence” that there is a link between higher levels of fluoride exposure and lower IQ in kids. The National Toxicology Program based its conclusion on studies involving fluoride levels at about twice the recommended limit for drinking water.
A federal judge later cited that study in ordering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to further regulate fluoride in drinking water. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen cautioned that it’s not certain that the amount of fluoride typically added to water is causing lower IQ in kids, but he concluded that mounting research points to an unreasonable risk that it could be. He ordered the EPA to take steps to lower that risk, but didn’t say what those measures should be.
In his X post Saturday, Kennedy tagged Michael Connett, the lead attorney representing the plaintiff in that lawsuit, the environmental advocacy group Food & Water Watch.
Kennedy’s anti-vaccine organization has a lawsuit pending against news organizations including The Associated Press, accusing them of violating antitrust laws by taking action to identify misinformation, including about COVID-19 and COVID-19 vaccines. Kennedy is on leave from the group but is listed as one of its attorneys in the lawsuit.
What role Kennedy might hold if Trump wins on Tuesday remains unclear. Kennedy recently told NewsNation that Trump asked him to “reorganize” agencies including the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Food and Drug Administration and some agencies under the Department of Agriculture.
But for now, the former independent presidential candidate has become one of Trump’s top surrogates. Trump frequently mentions having the support of Kennedy, a scion of a Democratic dynasty and the son of former Attorney General Robert Kennedy and nephew of President John F. Kennedy.
Kennedy traveled with Trump Friday and spoke at his rallies in Michigan and Wisconsin.
Trump said Saturday that he told Kennedy: “You can work on food, you can work on anything you want” except oil policy.
“He wants health, he wants women’s health, he wants men’s health, he wants kids, he wants everything,” Trump added.
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