June, 22 2021, 02:37pm EDT
WASHINGTON
A coalition of over 200 international civil society organizations, organized by Planned Parenthood Global and the International Planned Parenthood Federation, released a joint statement today calling for a permanent end to the U.S. global gag rule. The statement -- released as part of a week of action to end the global gag rule -- was released in Arabic, English, French, and Spanish, demonstrating the diversity of just some of the communities harmed by the rule over the past 37 years.
In addition to the over 200 organizations from 88 countries across six continents that signed the statement today -- and countless other people around the world -- 70% of Americans favor ending the global gag rule.
Tarah Demant, the director of the Gender, Sexuality, and Identity Program at Amnesty International USA:
"Ending the Gag rule forever is possible, it is urgent and it will make communities here at home as well as communities around the world much safer. It will also speed up the global recovery from COVID-19, advance global health, empower communities, and promote equity and human rights for all. Our lawmakers have an opportunity here and now to make certain that future presidents cannot reinstate the policy or interrupt life-saving health services ever again and now is the moment for them to seize that opportunity."
Dawn Laguens, interim executive director, Planned Parenthood Global:
"Study after study has demonstrated that the neocolonialist global gag rule devastates health care access for people around the world, especially those who already face systemic barriers to care. And yet, since 1984, the global gag rule has come and gone with each party shift in the White House. President Biden took an important step by ending this harmful rule for now, but real relief will not be felt until we can permanently end this devastating policy. The global community deserves true partnership from the U.S., but the threat that this destructive policy could reemerge undermines relationships and harms people around the globe. We come together today to tell the U.S. government: It's time to end the global gag rule once and for all."
Alvaro Bermejo, director general, International Planned Parenthood Federation:
"Since its inception, the global gag rule has been a constant threat to the lives of women and girls and their right to decide what happens to their bodies. Designed to deny people safe and legal abortion care, it has also caused unfathomable damage across the health care spectrum -- from HIV prevention and treatment to maternal health care. Our member associations on the front lines of care have witnessed this damage first hand. Whilst we applaud President Biden on rescinding the global gag rule, history has shown us that it is ready to be weaponized by coercive, anti-abortion administrations. We urge the U.S. government to break the violent cycle of the global gag rule permanently, so organizations like IPPF can provide life-saving health care without the fear of our ability to deliver being snatched away from us with the stroke of a pen. Together we can work toward a world where no one is left behind when it comes to their sexual and reproductive health and rights."
The global gag rule prohibits non-governmental organizations in other countries from receiving any U.S. global health assistance if they provide, refer, counsel or advocate for legal abortion in their country -- even if these activities are supported solely with non-U.S. funds. This cruel policy was originally imposed by the Reagan administration, before being rescinded in 1993 by President Clinton, and then reinstated in 2001 by President Bush on his first business day in office. President Obama rescinded the global gag rule in January 2009, but less than a decade later, President Trump reimposed and radically expanded the policy, extending its harm and devastation to even more women and communities. President Biden then rescinded the gag rule in a presidential memorandum signed on January 28, 2021.
Marginalized communities -- including women and girls, young people, and LGBTQ+ people -- have experienced the most devastating constraints on services as a result of the global gag rule. Tragically, this harm does not fully stop even when the policy is not in effect. According to the joint statement:
"The prospect of reinstatement under future administrations casts a long shadow and leaves the health and lives of millions of people vulnerable to the whims of future U.S. presidents... Even when presidents lift the global gag rule immediately upon taking office, high-quality health partners face long delays in resuming participation in U.S. global health programs. Permanent repeal of the policy is urgently needed to promote sustainable progress in global health and to build and maintain long-term partnerships between the U.S. government, local organizations, and the communities that they serve... Urgent action is needed to finally end the global gag rule once and for all and advance health, human rights, and gender equality across the globe."
The full joint statement can be found here and the full list of signatories is below:
- ABUBEF (Burundi)
- ACABEF (Central African Republic)
- Accountability International (South Africa)
- Action Against Hunger (United Kingdom)
- Action Canada for Sexual Health and Rights (Canada)
- Advocates for Youth (United States)
- Afrihealth Optonet Association (CSOs Network) (Nigeria)
- AIDOS - Italian Association for Women in Development (Italy)
- Al Hameed educational society (India)
- Alliance of Women Advocating for Change (AWAC) (Uganda)
- Amnesty International (Global)
- AMPF - Mauritanie (Mauritania)
- AMPPF (Mali)
- AnA - Society for Feminist Analyses (Romania)
- APROSUVI (Guatemala)
- Asia Catalyst (Thailand)
- Asia Pacific Alliance for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (Thailand/ Asia Pacific)
- Asian Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW) (Malaysia)
- ASSOCIACAO GUINEENSE PARA O BEM ESTAR FAMILIAR (AGUIBEF) (Guinea-Bissau)
- Associacao Para o Planeamento da Familia (Portugal)
- Association Algerienne pour la Planification Familiale (Algeria)
- Association Beninoise pour la Promotion de la Famille ABPF (Benin)
- Association Burkinabe pour le Bien Etre Familial (ABBEF) (Burkina Faso)
- Association Centrafricaine pour le Bien Etre Familial ( ACABEF) Central African Republic)
- Association Ivoirienne pour le Bien Etre Familial (AIBEF) (Ivory Coast)
- Association Malienne pour la protection et la Promotion de la Famille (Mali)
- Association Marocaine de Planification Familiale (Morocco)
- Association Mauritanienne pour la Promotion de la Famille (Mauritania)
- Association Nigerienne Pour le Bien Etre Familial (ANBEF) (Niger)
- Association Tchadienne pour le Bien Etre Familiale (Chad)
- ASSOCIATION TOGOLAISE POUR LE BIEN ETRE FAMILIAL (ATBEF) (Togo)
- Association Tunisienne de la Sante de la Reproduction (ATSR) (Tunisia)
- ASTRA Network (CEE region/ Poland)
- ATHENA Network (Namibia)
- Aube Nouvelle pour l Femme et le Developpement (Democratic Republic of Congo)
- Austrian Family Planning Association (Austria)
- Bahrain Reproductive Health Association (Bahrain)
- Bandhu Social Welfare Society (Bangladesh)
- Barnabas Charity Outreach (Nigeria)
- Botswana Family Welfare Association (BOFWA) (Botswana)
- Bulgarian Family Planning and Sexual Health Association (BFPA) (Bulgaria)
- Burnet Institute (Australia)
- CARE USA (USA)
- Caribbean Family Planning Affiliation (Antigua & Barbuda)
- Catalysts for Change (United States)
- Catholics for Choice (United States)
- Catolicas pelo Direito de Decidir - Brasil (Brazil)
- Catolicas por el Derecho a Decidir - Colombia (Colombia)
- CEDES - Centro de Estudio de Estado y Sociedad (Argentina)
- Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (Uganda)
- Center for Reproductive Rights (USA/ Switzerland/ Global)
- Centro de Derechos de Mujeres (Honduras)
- Centro de Promocion y Defensa de los Derechos Sexuales y Reproductivos - PROMSEX (Peru)
- CHOICE for Youth and Sexuality (Netherlands)
- CLADEM (Latin America)
- Corporacion MILES (Chile)
- Danish Family Planning Association (Denmark)
- Dr Uzo Adirieje Foundation (DUZAFOUND) (Nigeria)
- DSW (Deutsche Stiftung Weltbevolkerung) (Germany)
- Economic and Social Rights Centre - Hakijamii (Kenya)
- Egyptian family planning Association (EFPA) (Egypt)
- ELA - Equipo Latinoamericano de Justicia y Genero (Argentina)
- Equidad de Genero, Ciudadania, Trabajo y Familia (Mexico)
- Famia Planea Aruba (Aruba)
- Family Guidance Association of Ethiopia (FGAE) (Ethiopia)
- Family Health Association of Iran (Iran)
- Family Medical Point (Uganda)
- Family Planning Alliance Australia (Australia)
- Family Planning Association of Trinidad and Tobago (Trinidad & Tobago)
- FAMILY PLANNING ASSOCIATION OF MALAWI (Malawi)
- Family Planning Association of Nepal (Nepal)
- Family Planning Association Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka)
- Family Planning New Zealand (New Zealand)
- Family Planning NSW (Australia)
- Federacion Planificacion Familiar Estatal (Spain)
- Federation of Reproductive Health Associations, Malaysia (Malaysia)
- Feminist League (Kazakhstan)
- Feminist Task Force (United States)
- Fiji Women's Rights Movement (Fiji)
- FILIA Center (Romania)
- FLAMA Uganda (Uganda)
- FPA Sri Lanka (Sri Lanka)
- Friends Affected & Infected Together in Hand (FAITH) (Nepal)
- Front Association / Feminism-Romania (Romania)
- Fundacion Arcoiris por el respeto a la diversidad sexual (Mexico)
- FUNDACION CEMOPLAF (Ecuador)
- Fundacion Mexicana para la Planeacion Familiar, A. C. MEXFAM (Mexico)
- Fundacion para estudio e investigacion de la Mujer (Argentina)
- Fundacion Pro Salud Sabana Yegua FUNPROSSY (Dominican Republic)
- Futures Without Violence (United States)
- Gestos _HIV, Communication and Gender (Brazil)
- Girl Up Initiative Uganda (Uganda)
- Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (United States)
- GreeneWorks (United States)
- Grupo Multidisciplinario para la Defensa de los derechos sexuales y reproductivos en Guatemala (Guatemala)
- Guttmacher Institute (United States)
- Habitat Mujer Salud (Colombia)
- Haiti Adolescent Girls Network (Haiti)
- Health, Ethics and Law Institute of Forum for Medical Ethics Society (India)
- Heartland Alliance International (United States)
- Hesperian Health Guides (United States)
- HIV Legal Network (Canada)
- Human Rights Awareness and Promotion Forum (HRAPF) (Uganda)
- INPPARES (Peru)
- International Action Network for Gender Equity & Law (IANGEL) (United States)
- International Campaign for Women's Right to Safe Abortion (United Kingdom/ Global)
- International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) (USA)
- International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (United Kingdom)
- International Planned Parenthood Federation East and South East Asia and Oceania Region (ESEAOR) (Malaysia)
- Ipas (United States)
- International Planned Parenthood Federation (Global)
- Irish Family Planning Association (Ireland)
- Israel Family Planning Association (Open Door) (Israel)
- Jamaica Family Planning Association (Jamaica)
- John Snow, Inc. (JSI) (United States)
- JOICFP (Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning) (Japan)
- Kenya Legal & Ethical Issues Network On HIV & AIDS (Kenya)
- Kenya Medical Association (Kenya)
- Kisumu Medical and Education Trust (KMET) (Kenya)
- Kyetume Community Based Health Care Programme (Uganda)
- L'ASSOCIATION DJIBOUTIENNE POUR L'EQUILIBRE ET LA PROMOTION DE LA FAMILLE (Djibouti)
- Latin American and Caribbean Women's Health Network (Latin America and the Caribbean)
- Le Planning familial (France)
- LI PRIDE (Liberia)
- Lobi Health Center Foundation (Suriname)
- LUNA vzw (Belgium)
- Marie Stopes International (Global)
- MSI Reproductive Choices (United Kingdom)
- Mujer Y Salud en Uruguay - MYSU (Uruguay)
- Network for Adolescent and Youth of Africa (Kenya)
- Observatorio de la Gobernanza para la Cooperacion y el Desarrollo A.C. (Mexico)
- OutRight Action International (United States)
- Palestinian Family Planning and Protection Association (PFPPA) (Palestine)
- Pathfinder International (United States)
- Plan International (United Kingdom)
- Plan International USA (United States)
- Plan International, Inc (Global)
- Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (Ghana)
- Planned Parenthood Association of Thailand (Thailand)
- Planned Parenthood Association of Zambia (Zambia)
- Planned Parenthood Federation of Nigeria (Nigeria)
- Planned Parenthood Global (Global)
- Profamilia (Colombia)
- Queensway Institute of Technology and Business Studies (Kenya)
- Raks Thai Foundation (Thailand)
- RAWSA MENA NETWORK (Tunisia - for the MENA region)
- Red de Salud de las Mujeres Latinoamericanas y del Caribe (Latin America and the Caribbean)
- Red Latinoamericana y Caribena de jovenes por los Derechos Sexuales y Derechos Reproductivos REDLAC (Mexico)
- REDAAS - Red de Acceso al Aborto Seguro Argentina (Argentina)
- Regional Centre for International Development Cooperation (RCIDC) (Uganda)
- Reproductive Health Network Kenya (Kenya)
- Reproductive Health Training Center/Regional SRHR Coalition for EECA (Moldova/ Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regions)
- RFSU (Sweden)
- RHAC (Cambodia)
- Rutgers (Netherlands)
- SANTE SEXUELLE SUISSE (Switzerland)
- SCI Foundation (United Kingdom)
- Sendas (Ecuador)
- Sensoa (Belgium)
- SERAC-Bangladesh (Bangladesh)
- Sex og Politikk (IPPF Norway) (Norway)
- SEXUL vs BARZA / SEX vs The STORK Association (Romania)
- SFBSP-BURUNDI (Burundi)
- Society for Conservation and Sustainability of Energy and Environment in Nigeria (SOCSEEN) (Nigeria)
- Solidarity Sisters Network of Liberia (SoSNoL) (Liberia, West Africa)
- Solomon Island Planned Parenthood Association (Solomon Islands)
- Somaliland Family Health Association (Somaliland)
- Soroptimist International (United Kingdom)
- Space Allies (Japan)
- Stichting EqualA Foundation (Netherlands/ Thailand)
- Stichting Ultimate Purpose (Suriname)
- Stop AIDS in Liberia (SAIL) (Liberia)
- SUDAN Family Planning Association (SFPA) (Sudan)
- Sukaar Welfare Organization (Pakistan)
- Support for Women in Agriculture and Environment (SWAGEN) (Uganda)
- Syrian Family Planning Association (Syria)
- TAN UX'IL (Guatemala)
- TDJ-BURUNDI (Burundi)
- Teens Link Uganda (Uganda)
- The African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET) (Kenya)
- The Lebanese Association for Family Health- SALAMA (Lebanon)
- The Lesbian and Gay Association of Liberia (LEGAL) (Liberia)
- The Society for Education on Contraception and Sexuality from Romania (Romania)
- Together for Girls (United States)
- Trust for Indigenous Culture and health (TICAH) (Kenya)
- Universal Access Project (United States)
- Urgent Action Fund for Women's Human Rights (United States)
- Vidhayak Trust (India)
- WGNRR AFRICA (Tanzania)
- William and Flora Hewlett Foundation (USA)
- Women Deliver (USA)
- Women Enabled International (USA)
- Women's Global Network for Reproductive Rights (WGNRR) (Philippines)
- Women's Link Worldwide (Global)
- Women's Major Group (Global)
- Women's Refugee Commission (USA)
- Women'S Way Foundation Suriname (Suriname)
- Woodhull Freedom Foundation (United States)
- Yemeni Association for Reproductive Health (Yemen)
- YouAct - European Youth Network on Sexual and Reproductive Rights (United Kingdom)
- Young Feminist Europe (Belgium)
- Youth Association for Development (Pakistan)
- Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights (YCSRR) (Canada)
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(212) 807-8400LATEST NEWS
Sanders Pushes Amendment to 'Cut Billions in Offensive Military Funding to Israel'
"Enough is enough," said Sen. Bernie Sanders. "We cannot continue to fund this horrific war."
Apr 23, 2024
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders said Monday that he would put forth an amendment to remove offensive military funding for Israel from a House-passed aid package that the Senate is set to consider this week.
The amendment would "cut billions in offensive military funding to Israel from the proposed national security supplemental package," Sanders (I-Vt.) said in a statement. The package, approved by the Republican-controlled House over the weekend, includes $17 billion in unconditional military assistance to the Israeli government, which stands accused on the world stage of perpetrating genocide in Gaza.
The senator said he would also offer an amendment to "protect essential humanitarian operations" in the Gaza Strip, where millions of people are facing the possibility of starvation due to Israel's suffocating and illegal blockade. At least 28 children under the age of 12 have starved to death in Gaza in recent weeks.
Sanders' amendment would restore U.S. funding to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), the most important aid agency working in Gaza.
An independent report released Monday found that Israel has not provided any evidence to support its claim that a significant number of UNRWA employees are members of terrorist organizations. The U.S. suspended its UNRWA aid in late January in response to Israel's unsubstantiated allegations against the agency's workers, and the House-passed Israel legislation would prohibit funding for the organization.
Sanders said Monday that the Senate "should have a chance to debate and vote on the key components of such a massive package."
"In poll after poll, Americans have showed their increasing disgust for [Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's war machine and the humanitarian disaster it has caused in Gaza," the senator added. "Enough is enough. We cannot continue to fund this horrific war."
I look forward to offering amendments tomorrow to cut billions in offensive military funding to Israel from the proposed national security supplemental package and protect essential humanitarian operations. We cannot continue to fund this horrific war. pic.twitter.com/8JpxpT7IX2
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) April 23, 2024
A Senate vote on final passage of the White House-backed aid package—which also includes aid for Ukraine and Taiwan—is expected before Wednesday night. As Punchbowl reported, "each senator will be limited to just one hour of remarks" following procedural votes on Tuesday, so "it's likely that those who oppose the measure won't be able to drag this out much later than tonight."
The Senate vote on whether to hand Israel billions more in unconditional military aid will come as the country's military appears poised to escalate its devastating assault on the Gaza Strip, which has killed more than 34,000 people so far.
Satellite imagery obtained and analyzed by Al Jazeera shows that Israel has positioned "troops and vehicles at nearby army bases and outposts just outside the enclave."
"The analysis indicates that Israel has deployed more than 800 military vehicles to two bases," the outlet continued. "At least 120 vehicles are stationed at the northern border of the Gaza Strip and 700 are in the Negev desert, to the south. The satellite imagery also reveals that Israel has established nine military outposts just outside the enclave. Three were erected in November and December 2023 and six were set up between January and March of this year. The outposts house soldiers, operational command centers, and military vehicles."
A U.S. State Department report released Monday acknowledges that Israel has been credibly accused of grave human rights abuses in Gaza and the West Bank, including extrajudicial killings and torture. U.S. law prohibits American military assistance for governments violating human rights, but the Biden administration has resisted global calls to cut off arms sales to Israel.
"The widespread nature of the abuses described in the human rights report is overshadowed by the State Department's inaction on these same findings," Raed Jarrar, advocacy director of Democracy for the Arab World Now, said Monday. "The State Department needs to read its own report and take immediate action against all abusive Israeli units."
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Columbia Faculty Walk Out Over Student Suspensions, Arrests for Gaza Protests
While expressing gratitude for solidarity actions, Congresswoman Ilhan Omar—whose daughter was suspended—said that "this about the genocide in Gaza and the attention has to remain on that."
Apr 22, 2024
Over 34,000 Palestinians in Gaza have been killed by U.S.-backed Israeli troops, and Columbia University students have been suspended and arrested by New York Police Department officers in recent days for protesting the slaughter—which led to a walkout by the Ivy League institution's faculty on Monday.
The Guardian reported that "hundreds of members of the teaching cohort at Columbia walked out in solidarity with the students who were arrested" while "students put protest tents back up in the middle of campus on Monday after they were torn down last week when more than 100 arrests were made."
Yonah Lieberman, co-founder of IfNotNow, a Jewish-led U.S. group that organizes against Israel's apartheid, declared: "Solidarity with these faculty members. Shame on establishment politicians and agitators who are smearing the anti-war protest at Columbia as anything other than what it is: a courageous stand for freedom and peace."
Naureen Akhter, a founding member of the New York-based group Muslims for Progress, said: "Thank you to the professors who stood in solidarity with student protestors, who didn't give into instigators who are fanning flames of hate and division. Remember the calls are for transparency, divestment, and amnesty for students!"
Congresswoman Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)—a critic of Israel's war on Gaza whose own daughter, Isra Hirsi, was suspended from Columbia's Barnard College last week for "standing in solidarity with Palestinians facing a genocide," as the 21-year-old junior put it—also noted the faculty walkout and "nationwide Gaza solidarity movement."
"This is more than the students hoped for and I am glad to see this type of solidarity," said Omar. "But to be clear, this about the genocide in Gaza and the attention has to remain on that."
Summary of events from the last day not related to Columbia:\n\n- Israel has not provided evidence that UNRWA staff are part of Hamas\n- A mass grave, including women/children was discovered\n- Doctors did an emergency c-section, saving a baby after an airstrikes killed her mother— (@)
The walkout in New York City followed 54 Columbia Law School professors sending a letter to administrators that states, "While we as a faculty disagree about the relevant political issues and express no opinion on the merits of the protest, we are writing to urge respect for basic rule-of-law values that ought to govern our university."
"Procedural irregularity, a lack of transparency about the university's decision-making, and the extraordinary involvement of the NYPD all threaten the university's legitimacy within its own community and beyond its gates," they wrote. "We urge the university to conform student discipline to clear and well-established procedures that respect the rule of law."
In a statement early Monday, several hours before the walkout, Columbia University president Minouche Shafik—who last week enabled NYPD arrests of students at the encampment—announced in her first statement since the sweep that all classes would be virtual "to deescalate the rancor and give us all a chance to consider next steps."
"Faculty and staff who can work remotely should do so; essential personnel should report to work according to university policy. Our preference is that students who do not live on campus will not come to campus," Shafik said. "During the coming days, a working group of deans, university administrators, and faculty members will try to bring this crisis to a resolution."
The national group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) on Monday accused Columbia of creating "a climate of repression and harm for students peacefully protesting for an end to the Israeli genocide against Palestinians in Gaza" over the past six months.
"Columbia University has actively created a hostile environment for students who are Palestinian or who support Palestinian freedom. Additionally, the administration's actions have made the campus much less safe for Jewish students," JVP said.
According to JVP:
Instead of listening to the calls of Columbia and Barnard students to divest from the genocide perpetrated by the Israeli government, the university has called in the NYPD to arrest students, suspended them, and even expelled them. At present 85 students, 15 of whom are Jewish, are suspended.
Yesterday's statement by the White House, like the administrators of Columbia University, dangerously and inaccurately presumes that all Jewish students support the Israeli government's genocide of Palestinians. This assumption is actively harming Palestinian and Jewish students.
The administration has not only harassed Jewish students and failed to ensure their safety and well-being, it has also obstructed their religious observances during Shabbat and prevented them from accessing their Jewish community on the eve of Passover.
While President Joe Biden's Sunday statement was officially about Passover—a Jewish holiday that begins at sundown on Monday—and not the protests at Columbia and other campuses across the country, it was widely received as a response to the latter.
Biden said in part that "we must speak out against the alarming surge of antisemitism—in our schools, communities, and online. Silence is complicity. Even in recent days, we've seen harassment and calls for violence against Jews. This blatant antisemitism is reprehensible and dangerous—and it has absolutely no place on college campuses, or anywhere in our country."
Jonathan Ben-Menachem, a Ph.D. student at the university, toldCNN that "Columbia students organizing in solidarity with Palestine—including Jewish students—have faced harassment, doxxing, and now arrest by the NYPD. These are the main threats to the safety of Jewish Columbia students."
"On the other hand, student protesters have led interfaith joint prayers for several days now, and Passover Seder will be held at the Gaza solidarity encampment tomorrow," he added. "Saying that student protesters are a threat to Jewish students is a dangerous smear."
Columbia Students for Justice in Palestine said in a lengthy statement that "we are student activists at Columbia calling for divestment from genocide. We are frustrated by media distractions focusing on inflammatory individuals who do not represent us. At universities across the nation, our movement is united in valuing every human life."
"As a diverse group united by love and justice, we demand our voices be heard against the mass slaughter of Palestinians in Gaza," the statement continues. "We've been horrified each day, watching children crying over the bodies of their slain parents, families without food to eat, and doctors operating without anesthesia. Our university is complicit in this violence and this is why we protest."
The Columbia Spectator reported Monday that Columbia College passed a divestment referendum that "asked whether the university should divest financially from Israel, cancel the Tel Aviv Global Center, and end Columbia's dual degree program with Tel Aviv University," with respective votes of 76.55%, 68.36%, and 65.62%. However, a statement from a university spokesperson signaled the referendum would not lead to any shift in campus policies.
Beyond Columbia, there are ongoing demonstrations at institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, New York University, the University of Michigan, and Yale University, another Ivy League school, where at least 47 peaceful student protesters were arrested on Monday.
Those arrested were "charged with class A misdemeanors, which is the highest class of misdemeanors in Connecticut—the same degree applies to third-degree assault," according to the Yale Daily News. Citing a university spokesperson, the student newspaper added that they "will be referred for Yale disciplinary action—which could include reprimand, probation, or suspension."
Pushing back against some administrators' statements, journalist Thomas Birmingham, who was with the Yale protesters overnight, said on social media: "Here's some things I saw... 1. Repeated and loud calls to remain peaceful. 2. Students locking arms, teaching Arabic and Hebrew, and passing around pizza and water. 3. Lots of singing."
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​Modi Slammed for 'Direct Attack on Muslims of India' in Campaign 'Hate Speech'
"Modi's rhetoric against Muslims is extremely divisive and dangerous," warned one critic. "It would only fuel more hate and violence against the already battered community."
Apr 22, 2024
Critics on Monday condemned far-right Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for what one group called a "hateful and dangerous" campaign speech in which he claimed that Muslim "infiltrators" would steal Indians' wealth if the opposition wins parliamentary elections that began last week.
Speaking to supporters at a rally in the western state of Rajasthan on Sunday, Modi said that the manifesto of the opposition Indian National Congress (INC) party details how to calculate "the amount of gold that mothers and sisters have" so that it can be redistributed to Muslims.
"When they were in power, they said Muslims have first right over resources," the prime minister claimed out of context. "They will gather all your wealth and redistribute among those who have more children. They will distribute it among infiltrators. Do you think your hard-earned money should be given to infiltrators? Would you accept this?"
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rhetoric against Muslims is extremely divisive and dangerous. It would only fuel more hate and violence against the already battered community. pic.twitter.com/KT36FVpS6u
— Raqib Hameed Naik (@raqib_naik) April 21, 2024
Members of Modi's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)—which does enjoy the support of a significant number of Indian Muslims—have often portrayed Muslims as outsiders. BJP officials have also pushed a baseless conspiracy narrative roughly analogous to U.S. white supremacists' "great replacement" theory, in this case positing that Muslim migrants and rapidly reproducing Indian Muslims will eventually outnumber Hindus—who make up around 80% of the country's 1.4 billion people.
Modi's remarks came a day after India's seven-step election of 543 members of the Lok Sabha, or lower legislative house, began. Modi is running for a third consecutive term. He's being challenged by INC President Mallikarjun Kharge, leader of the opposition in the Rajya Sabha, the upper legislative house. Results will be announced on June 4.
Kharge responded to Modi's remarks by blasting the "panic-filled" address as "not only a hate speech but also a well-thought-out ploy to divert attention" by the prime minister, the BJP, and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—a fascist-inspired political and paramilitary movement whose brand of Hindu supremacy heavily influenced the rise of the BJP.
"Lying for power, making baseless references to things, and making false accusations on opponents is the specialty of the training of RSS and BJP," Kharge said, adding that Indians "are no longer going to fall prey to this lie."
Indian journalist and
Washington Post opinion columnist Rana Ayyub said on social media that "this is not a dogwhistle, this is a targeted, direct, brazen hate speech against a community."
Thousands of Indians petitioned the country's Election Commission seeking punitive action against Modi.
"The prime minister, while campaigning... made a speech on April 21 in Rajasthan that has disturbed the sentiments of millions of Constitution-respecting citizens of India," one petition states. "The speech is dangerous and a direct attack on the Muslims of India."
Muslim groups around the world also slammed Modi's speech, which the U.S.-based Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) called "hateful and dangerous."
"It is unconscionable, but not surprising, that far-right Hindutva leader Narendra Modi would target Indian Muslims with a hateful and dangerous diatribe despite his role as the leader of a nation with such a diverse religious heritage," said CAIR national executive director Nihad Awad.
"We again call on the Biden administration to declare India a 'country of particular croncern' over its discriminatory and violent policies targeting Muslims and other religious minorities," Awad added. "Global Islamophobia is alive and well in India and must be confronted before it escalates to something even worse."
South Asia historian Audrey Truschke, a professor at Rutgers University in New Jersey, accused Modi of "straight-up fascism."
"Modi had a history of encouraging mass violence against Muslims," Truschke added. "So we should all take his words seriously."
Modi was chief minister of the western state of Gujarat in February 2002 when a train full of Hindu pilgrims was set ablaze, killing 58 people. The cause of the disaster remains disputed, but Modi was quick to blame Muslims for the fire. In a three-day paroxysm of intercommunal bloodletting, Hindu mobs murdered at least hundreds—and perhaps thousands—of Muslim men, women, and children. Many women and girls were raped. More than 250 Hindus were also killed during what came to be called the Gujarat riots, during which an estimated 150,000 people were also forcibly displaced.
A team sent by the British government concluded that Modi was "directly responsible for a climate of impunity" that enabled the pogrom. However, a special investigation commissioned by the Indian Supreme Court cleared him of complicity in 2012. Modi's alleged role in the massacre led to a U.S. visa ban during the George W. Bush administration that was lifted during the tenure of former President Barack Obama after Modi became prime minister.
Deadly violence against religious minorities and others has increased during BJP rule. And while the U.S. State Department has perennially criticized the Indian government's human rights record, Modi was courted by both the Trump and Biden administrations. Last year, the White House literally rolled out the red carpet for Modi, who was lavishly feted by President Joe Biden and invited to speak before a rare joint session of Congress. Several progressive lawmakers boycotted the address.
Earlier this year, Progressive International's (PI) executive body used Modi's consecration of a highly controversial Hindu temple on the former site of a 16th-century Muslim mosque destroyed by a Hindu nationalist mob as an opportunity to issue a warning about the accelerating erosion of democracy in India.
"The Modi government has made a decisive move to overthrow India's secular constitution in the name of a new Hindu supremacist nation," PI's statement asserted. "As prime minister, Modi has pushed this Hindu nationalism as India's dominant political force: banning the hijab in schools, introducing 'anti-conversion' laws, abusing municipal forces to demolish Muslim households and shops in cities, and pushing for a 'uniform civil code' in law."
Anti-Muslim speech has also increased dramatically in India, according to a report published earlier this year by the U.S.-based India Hate Lab. The publication detailed 668 incidents in 2023—75% of which occurred in BJP-ruled states.
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