‘Indian student protests make us proud’: Activist Greta Thunberg hails CJP victory in London | Follow | Today’s news
Social and environmental activist Greta Thunberg joined the Indian student movement in London. Greta Thunberg, speaking in solidarity with the student protest organized by the Students Federation of India-UK (SFI-UK) on Sunday 26 July, famed for the farmers’ protest ‘toolkit’, acknowledged the profound impact of the protest led by the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP).
She pointed out that people’s power can force governments to take drastic action, as in the case of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, who was forced to resign following a massive public outcry over the NEET paper leak fiasco. Expressing her solidarity with the Indian youth, she said, “I am so happy to see so many people and we are showing it all over the world. We stand in solidarity with the Indian youth.”
The 23-year-old Swedish activist added: “The Indian student protests make us all proud and give us hope. They show what we can achieve when people unite and resist. They show the true meaning of human power.”
The self-styled climate activist praised their unity and courage, saying: “Indian students are fighting for justice and the wider fight for democracy and liberation is our fight too. So we all have to come together now and stand up in solidarity with India. I’m proud to stand by your side. Power to the people,” while addressing the crowd at Trafalgar Sqaure.
What social networks said
Social media reacted strongly to the video shared by the official SFI-UK Instagram account. One user wrote: “Seeing the text on their t-shirt is especially empowering knowing that India recently tried to erase trans people through the Trans Act.”
Another user joked: “We have Greta Thunberg in SFI before gta6 (sic).”
A third user commented: “Season 1 global player.
The weekend meeting was described by SFI UK as a moment of “triumph”. The organization celebrated the student movement led by Abhijeet Dipek at Jantar Mantar under the banner of CJP. Congratulating the protesters for forcing Dharmendra Pradhan to resign, the organization said: “We applaud the students who have stood in solidarity today in Trafalgar Square and in cities across the UK since the beginning of the movement. The fight for free and fair education knows no bounds.” It claimed that a wave of protests over the past month had “brought hundreds of students into the streets in solidarity across UK cities”.
The organization vowed to continue the struggle even after Dharmendra Pradhan’s resignation. After accepting several key demands of the CJP on Saturday, the Center withdrew its agitation after meeting Union Ministers JP Nadda and Jitendra Singh. The government not only agreed to provide suitable compensation to the families of NEET aspirants who died by suicide, but also agreed to withdraw the FIRs registered against the protestors and examine the organization’s five-point charter on examination reforms. The next round of negotiations is scheduled for four weeks.
