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Video Editor: Sandeep Suman
As farmers from Punjab, Haryana and other parts of India continue protesting against the new farm laws, they are being targeted by many on social media by means of misinformation, manipulated content and fake news.
The Quint met some of these farmers at the Delhi-Haryana Singhu Border and spoke to them about the misinformation being circulated online.
Reacting to accusations that ‘Khalistani slogans’ are being raised at protest sites, Gagandeep Singh, a farmer from Fatehgarh Sahib in Punjab told us that those sharing false information on social media should think about the farmers.
Another protester, Akashdeep, who has been camping at the Singhu border since 25 November says that it is an attempt to discredit the farmers.
“Those who want to say something wrong, will always say it. Have you heard any Khalistani slogans here? I haven’t. We’re camping here from 25 (November), we haven’t heard any such slogans. This is an attempt to discredit the protests. They want the attention to be diverted to something else,” Akashdeep said.
Several protesters told us that anybody who is claiming that the farmers are being misled and instigated must visit the ground and speak to them about the three laws.
Kuldeep Singh, another farmer at the protest said, “Why do they think we don’t know what we are protesting for? One farmer can be a fool, at max two can fall into a trap. But what about the 10 lakh farmers who’ve come here? Are they all fools?” he asked.
With hashtags like #FarmerProtestsHijacked trending on Twitter and claims pertaining to Shaheen Bagh protesters joining the agitation surfacing, the protesters told The Quint that the farmers’ protest isn’t about any one particular religion. They added that these attempts are being used to discredit the protests and the protesters.
Another farmer, Kamal Singh, added, “In this movement, Hindus, Sikhs and Muslims, everybody is participating. Being a Muslim or a Sikh is not a definition of terrorism.”
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