Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg has extended her support to 21-year-old Indian activist, Disha Ravi, who was arrested by the Delhi Police in the toolkit row last week. The Delhi Police have accused Ravi of sharing and editing the toolkit shared by Greta on 3 February on the Indian farmers’ protests.
Breaking her silence over the issue, Greta tweeted on Friday evening, “Freedom of speech and the right to peaceful protest and assembly are non-negotiable human rights. These must be a fundamental part of any democracy.” She ended her tweet with hashtag #StandWithDishaRavi.
Greta was reacting to a series of tweets by the Indian chapter of Friday For Future, which wrote, “Disha has been an integral part of this movement. Not only has she been voicing out environment concerns in India but strived for the equality and representation of the country’s most affected and marginalized groups in the global climate movement’s narrative.”
It added, “Respectfully, legally and constitutionally. In solidarity with Disha Ravi, Fridays For Future India.”
On Friday, the Delhi High Court slammed three TV channels namely India Today, News 18 and Times Now for sensational reporting on Disha’s arrest. The court pronounced its verdict after Disha complained of a breach of her rights to privacy accusing three TV channels of broadcasting her private chats. The Delhi Police had denied leaking the personal information of Disha.
Disha was picked up by the Delhi Police from her house in Bengaluru last week. She was brought to Delhi and produced before a local court, which sent her to five days of police custody.