The “Thelma & Louise” star is the latest international celebrity to back the protest, after a tweet by pop star Rihanna triggered a wave of support for the protesting farmers in India.

Published: 06th February 2021 12:27 PM  

MUMBAI:Veteran actor Susan Sarandon on Saturday extended her support to the ongoing farmers agitation and said she stands in solidarity with the protesters.

The “Thelma & Louise” star is the latest international celebrity to back the protest, after a tweet by pop star Rihanna triggered a wave of support for the protesting farmers by a number of global personalities, activists and politicians.

The 74-year-old actor took to Twitter and shared a news report by The New York Times, headlined, “Why Are Farmers Protesting in India?” “Standing in solidarity with the #FarmersProtest in India. Read about who they are and why they’re protesting below,” Sarandon wrote.

Earlier, on Tuesday, Rihanna had caused a massive uproar in the country when she tweeted a news article about internet services being shut down around New Delhi amid the farmers’ protests. “Why aren’t we talking about this?!,” she had written in her tweet. Later, Swedish activist Greta Thunberg also extended her support to the protests.

On Wednesday, a host of Bollywood celebrities, including Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn, Karan Johar, Ekta Kapoor and Suniel Shetty, put out similar statements about the ongoing farmers’ protest with the hashtag ‘India against propaganda’.

Their tweets came after the external affairs ministry’s statement on certain ‘vested interest groups’ succeeding in getting ‘international support against India’, after Rihanna, teenage activist Greta Thunberg and others commented on the protests.

Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, Meena Harris, an American lawyer and niece of US Vice President Kamala Harris, actor Amanda Cerni, singers Jay Sean, Dr Zeus and former adult star Mia Khalifa have also supported the protesting farmers.

Susan has been working as a social activist and has been critical of the US government, too, in the past. “In the US, wars are the biggest exports, second may be films, but definitely weapons. But thanks to Bush, his two terms in office and his stripping of the economy, people are now paying attention to what they really need. They know that nothing is gained using violence,” she had told Hindustan Times in 2013 during the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

The government had criticised the tweets by Rihanna and other celebrities, saying facts must be ascertained before people rushing to comment on the issue, calling it “neither accurate nor responsible”.

Tens of thousands of farmers have been protesting at three border points on the outskirts of Delhi demanding a complete repeal of the three farm laws.