Why Everyone is Talking About Disha Ravi
Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg tweeted out a toolkit to help mobilize allies of India’s protesting farmers. Here’s how it led to the arrest of a student in Bangalore.
The arrest of 22-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi has sparked outrage in India.
Police arrested Ravi, a graduate of Mount Carmel College in Bangalore, who worked for animal welfare organizations, volunteered for city cleanup drives, and spoke up for human rights, at her home on Saturday, February 13. Authorities have said they will hold her in custody for five days, charging her with a number of offenses, including conspiracy and sedition. Ravi is the founder of the India chapter of Fridays For Future, an environmental initiative launched by Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
The reason for Ravi’s arrest was her vocal support for Indian farmers amid protests, and her involvement in helping develop and circulate a two-page toolkit to help mobilize allies in support of the protesters. After Thunberg tweeted out the toolkit on February 3, people shared it widely. Thunberg showed support for the Indian farmers’ movement, despite backlash from the Indian right for “meddling in state affairs.” Thunberg’s tweet about the toolkit has been retweeted almost 18,000 times, and her collective tweets about the farmers’ protest have garnered over 216,400 retweets.