Abuse, Mockery & Slut-Shaming: What Women Faced For Speaking Out Over Farmers' Protests

Shweta Sengar
Shweta Sengar
Updated on Feb 04, 2021, 21:12 IST- 9 min read -237 Shares
kangana greta mia khalifa

The internet was at its worst when a few women decided to tweet in support of the ongoing farmers' protests in India

On Tuesday, Pop star Rihanna raised a question on the shutdown of internet services at protest sites around Delhi following a clash between the police and some fringe elements in the tractor rally by farmers on Republic Day.

Her tweet instantly put a spotlight on government tactics to quell the protests, which have largely remained peaceful.

It was an eye-opener on a global scale.

Soon, climate activist Greta Thunberg, Mia Khalifa and Amanda Cerny tweeted in support of the farmers' protests. 

However, all things right-wing were immediately offended at the tweets, which they believe were coming from "clueless" women, who lack intelligence to understand the contentious farm laws.

And they resorted to what they excel at -- slut-shaming, name-calling and glorifying abuse.

The internet hit an all-time low when people first tried to find links between Rihanna and Muslims, Khalistan and Pakistan and even raised questions of paid tweets.

Clearly, none of the claims hold any merit but the desi social media once again exposed the deep-rooted misogyny in India coming from men and women alike.

The discourse took the ugliest turn when right-wing trolls congratulated Chris Brown for abusing Rihanna, bringing up victimisation by an abuser as a justified way to get back at her.

Kangana Ranaut, Bollywood actor and a supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), called Rihanna a "fool" and asked her to "sit down" for supporting the protesters, claiming that they are not not farmers but "terrorists".

When climate activist Greta Thunberg also shared the CNN article and wrote, "We stand in solidarity with the #FarmersProtest in India," on her Twitter.

Many resorted to former US President Donald Trump's icky tweet asking Greta to work on her anger management problems and chill.

"So ridiculous. Greta must work on her Anger Management problem, then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Greta, Chill!", the former US president had tweeted from a now suspended account.

The 18-year-old activist was called a "kid", a "racist colonial stooge" and was advised to keep her nose outside India's internal matters. Some questioned Greta's support to farmers since their stubble burning practices in winter season is a massive cause of air pollution in north India.

All hell broke loose when former adult film actor Mia Khalifa tweeted in support of protesting farmers. Calling the suspension of the internet at the main protest sites a human rights violation, Khalifa said she stands with the farmers.

She tweeted "What in the human rights violations is going on?! They cut the internet around New Delhi?! #FarmersProtest"

Twitter ran amok with abusive tweets directed at her for speaking out and bringing up her past work as a method to retort.

In one of the tweets, Kangana Ranaut shared a collage of herself in traditional attire and Rihanna performing on stage, labelling herself as a "Right Wing role model" as against the "left wing role model", adding "I rest my case" to the tweet.

While Kangana's tweet was a clear example of virtue signaling, character assassination and a holier than thou approach, people on Twitter did not spare her and reminded her of "sanskaars" while sharing semi-naked pictures of her from movies and photoshoots. They perhaps believed misogyny and abuse must be countered with misogyny and abuse.

Another woman who faced trolls was former BJP MLA from Bihar and Bihar BJP vice president Baby Kumari, who retweeted Rihanna's tweet and asked who she is.

People made fun of her name, trolled her for having phenomenally fewer followers than Rihanna and some just asked her to shut up.

Clearly, desi Twitter has become a toxic space where women who speak out are believed to lack intellect and asked to shut up when they express their views on a subject, especially at a time when women are increasingly dominating dissent spaces and registering their voices and presence at protests sites across the world.