Anti-fascists slogans call for a stop to Hindu fascism during plenary session of World Hindu Congress
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 9, 2018
The Alliance for Justice and Accountability (AJA), an
umbrella organization of progressive South Asian groups across the
United States in coordination with the local community, today lauded the
activists who disrupted the plenary session of the World Hindu
Congress, a conclave convened by organizations aligned with the Hindu
supremacist ideology that is spearheading the violation of human rights
and religious freedom of minorities in India.
The event has been deeply mired in controversy since the
Alliance for Justice and Accountability, along with a wide range of
Indian diaspora organizations have denounced it as an attempt to
mainstream Hindu fascism in the United States. Congresswoman Tulsi
Gabbard who had initially agreed to chair the three day Congress severed
all connections with the event.
On Friday evening, several young activists from Chicago South
Asians for Justice raised signs and called out, "RSS Turn Around, We
don't want you in Our Town," and "Stop Hindu Fascism." Some conference
attendees erupted in a violent rage, spitting on the protesters, shoving
them to the floor, and choking one of them. Two protesters were
arrested and charged with trespass and disorderly conduct, while one
conference attendee was charged with battery. "We endured extremely
violent and demeaning behavior from a bunch of self-righteous Hindutva
fanatics who refuse to acknowledge their complicity in promoting and
furthering fascism. Their response is indicative of their fascist
mindset that brooks no dissent, and we refuse to allow it to be
promulgated in our state without a fight," said one of the protesters
who courted arrest.
"This is deeply significant," said Nesamani Rajamani of AJA.
"These young leaders did what Congressman Raja Krishnamoorthi could not,
which is to speak truth to power. This courageous act confronting hate
on its own ground is the first direct action against caste in the
diaspora. The brave hearts made a choice as people of conscience to
stand up to Hindu Fascism and Brahminsm, and we believe that as long as
the RSS and the Sangh continue to go after Dalit Bahujan peoples, people
of conscience will stand up and resist together," added Mr. Rajamani.
Earlier on Friday, a truck bearing billboard size messages
"Boycott World Hindu Congress" drove around the Lombard area. Hindutva
is the term for a politicized ideology of Hindu ethno-nationalism
associated with brutal violence toward India's minority communities,
particularly Dalits (those previously designated "untouchable" by the
traditional caste system) and Muslims, as well as Sikhs, Buddhists,
Christians, and secular critics. Some of the most virulent hatemongers
of Hindutva are featured speakers at the WHC, such as RSS chief Mohan
Rao Bhagwat and UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, both of whom have a
long public record of advancing misogyny, hate crimes and attacks on
minorities, as well as assurances of impunity for its perpetrators.
On Saturday, AJA held a protest outside the
conference venue, with the stated goal of "standing in solidarity with
our sisters and brothers in India who are fighting against the
#HIndutva rule and will not be silent in the face of mob lynchings, rapes, murders, and the targeting of our leaders and academics."
AJA's Ashwin Khobragade said, "Antifascists in the South
Asian diaspora who care about racial and caste justice, and who disagree
with the blanket criminalization of Muslims, have to be no less
vigilant in standing against the VHP and RSS than we do against American
neo-nazi, white supremacist, and ethno-nationalist groups. The time has
come to organize, unite, and to win".
While the WHC promotes its agenda as "a global platform for
Hindus" to network, inspire and strategize for "the common good," its
true agenda is to advance the jaundiced view of the world espoused by
the VHP of America, American branch of the India-based Vishwa Hindu
Parishad (VHP); the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh, American branch of the
Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), which was founded under the
inspiration of Nazism; and the Hindu American Foundation (HAF). These
groups are also affiliated with the ruling nationalist Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP), under whose rule since 2014 there have been over a hundred
lynchings of Dalits, adivasis and Muslims, often using the dog whistle
of "cow protection."
Calling for a boycott of the event, AJA engaged in outreach
to a number of US politicians including Tulsi Gabbard, Ash Kalra, Jay
Chaudhuri and Raja Krishnamoorthy, who had initially been slated to
participate under the guise of cultural pluralism and interfaith
harmony. After learning of the partisan and extremist nature of the
event, Gabbard, Kalra and Chaudhuri severed their connections with it. In
a separate development, The Council of Islamic Organizations of Greater
Chicago condemned the appearance of fascists speakers at the
conference.
Krishnamoorthi did attend, chairing a panel on political
leadership, but indicated that he wishes to hold a meeting with Muslim
groups in his constituency who have expressed their deep objections to
his support for anti-Muslim activities in India. South Asian Americans
Leading Together (SAALT) has issued a statement taking Krishnamoorthi to
task for sharing a platform with RSS ideologues and rescinding their
offer to him to speak at their Congressional Briefing on hate violence
and post-9/11 policies.
AJA has launched a twitter campaign #StopHinduFascism, to
shed light on the violence and demand accountability from speakers and
sponsors of the event. The impact of the twitterstorm awoke many
Americans to the rising issues of #HinduFascism in the world.
