Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra didn't plagiarise: US writer of fascism article shuts trolls
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra has been targeted by trolls for her maiden Lok Sabha speech saying she plagiarised the article of a US writer. The man himself has now come out to support Moitra.
American commentator Martin Longman, who wrote an article in 2017 titled 'The 12 Early Signs of Fascism', is back in news after Trinamool MP Mahua Moitra's fiery speech in the Lok Sabha. Trolls have targeted Moitra saying she plagiarised his article against US President Donald Trump and now, Longman has come out in support of Moitra.
Longman's Washington Monthly article is a scathing attack on Donald Trump, which also refers to the Holocaust Museum poster that Moitra talked about in her speech.
Longman wrote on Twitter, "I'm internet famous in India because a politician is being falsely accused of plagiarizing me. It's kind of funny, but right-wing as***les seem to be similar in every country."
On June 25, Mahua Moitra became an overnight sensation with a powerful speech pointing out the early signs of fascism that are apparently being seen in India at the moment.
Moitra had said amid fierce protests by BJP MPs that dissent was important as there are no "natural checks and balances in the Lok Sabha" due to the Opposition's shrunken strength and the ruling party's unprecedented numbers.
She famously said, "Only if you open your eyes, you will see there are signs everywhere that this country is being torn apart."
While the speech received thousands of views on Twitter and YouTube, Moitra was targeted by trolls who said she had copied her speech from Longman's article.
On Wednesday, Moitra issued a statement herself and said, "Plagiarism is when one does not disclose one's source. My source as mentioned categorically in my speech was the poster from the Holocaust Museum created by the political scientist Dr. Laurence W. Brit pointing out the 14 signs of early fascism. I found 7 signs relevant to India and spoke at length about each of them."
The Trinamool Congress MP added, "This is a clear attempt by the troll army of the MP and certain media houses owing allegiance to the ruling party to obfuscate the real issues.
"My speech came from the heart and every Indian who has shared it did so from their heart. The hits were organic, not BOT controlled. I repeat," Moitra's statement said.
She also found support in Congress MP Shashi Tharoor, who said, "Glad @MahuaMoitra has so unsettled the extreme right in India that they have given her message more traction with their falsehoods."