For more than two months now, thousands of farmers have been protesting against three contentious farm laws. They have remained camped out at Delhi's borders, with multiple rounds of dialogue with the Centre having failed to end the deadlock.
There have been several developments this week - from a Republic Day tractor rally that turned violent to the UP administration's efforts to get the farmers to vacate the protest site. There has also been a sudden spike in support from political leaders -- both in India and abroad.
Even as Opposition leaders stage walkouts in Parliament, hold human chain protests and more, it would seem that politicians in the western world are also taking heed of the ongoing agitation.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has repeatedly stressed the "importance of dialogue" and noted that his country believed in people's right to hold peaceful protests. At the beginning of December, as the protests began with clashes, Canada had even reached out to Indian authorities to highlight their concerns and noted that the country would always be there to "defend the right of peaceful protest".
Now, a Canadian lawmaker has urged the PM to condemn what he dubbed the "Indian government's violent response to these peaceful protesters". The video clip comes days after the Republic Day clashes between the farmers and the police.
"I am deeply concerned about the violence against farmers in India. Those calling to harm farmers must be held accountable and the right to peaceful protest must be protected. I am calling on Justin Trudeau to condemn the violence, immediately," tweeted Canadian lawmaker and New Democratic Party leader Jagmeet Singh.
He also shared a link from his party website, where one can add their names and join the effort to get Trudeau to condemn the situation. "The Indian government's use of violence on farmers protesting mass privatization of the agricultural sector is appalling," the website says.
