Far-right Hindu nationalists are using digital propaganda to delegitimize India’s wrestler protests

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They are seeking the arrest of the Wrestling Federation of India’s president, Brij Bhushan Singh, who is facing allegations that he sexually harassed athletes.

Metadata

Provider:

The Conversation

URL:

https://theconversation.com/far-right-hindu-nationalists-are-using-digital-propaganda-to-delegitimize-indias-wrestler-protests-206747

Retrieved on:

Monday, June 5, 2023

Information

Geotags:

INDIA

Summary

Key Points:

They are seeking the arrest of the Wrestling Federation of India’s president, Brij Bhushan Singh, who is facing allegations that he sexually harassed athletes.
However, far-right Hindu nationalists loyal to the government and its Hindutva ideology have attempted to bully and discredit the protesters.

Digital propaganda

A big part of that effort involves using digital propaganda like memes, disinformation campaigns and digitally altered content.
Similarly to the 2020-2021 farmers’ movement, the wrestlers’ protest is facing rampant demonization on social media.
The wrestlers have even been accused of being linked to the Khalistanis, a banned Sikh separatist movement in India.

Online counter-speech

It usually involves polite and non-aggressive responses, sharing fact-checked information and exposing the logical inconsistencies of messages shared online.
Social movements face online propaganda campaigns, use of political bots, monitoring through spyware like Pegasus and even internet shutdowns.
But most protest movements do not have this marginal advantage in online spaces.

Challenging propaganda

To support counter-speech that can challenge the propaganda of governments, experts and academics need to rethink how efforts like digital media literacy programs and fact-checking can effectively respond.
A proposed amendment to the country’s internet rules would give the government more power to police online content.
In order to combat propaganda and disinformation, it is crucial to support democratically owned businesses like platform co-operatives, independent journalism and develop public service media and internet platforms that value truth and transparency and treat people like citizens, not consumers.