Meenakshi Ashley Harris, an American lawyer, and author, who came to be known for having worked on her aunt and Vice President Kamala Harris’ election campaign, is now in the limelight for her bold remarks on the ongoing farmers’ protest in India.
Meena Harris is among the first several prominent international entities, including pop icon Rihanna, Swedish teen climate activist Greta Thunberg, and American actress Amanda Cerni, who have supported the protesting farmers – only to be criticised by the Narendra Modi government saying that facts must be ascertained before people rushing to comment on the issue, and further calling it “neither accurate nor responsible”.
The 36-year-old has been tweeting regularly since an international media report on the farmer protests and the government’s crackdown got published amassing global interest on the issue.
Although, the farmer unions welcomed the support of international personalities towards the ongoing farmers’ movement in India, another section of Indians have sought to criticize, asking them to stay out, saying it is an “internal matter” of the country.
Meena, daughter of Maya Harris — a lawyer and policy expert — and niece of Kamala Harris, has now come out openly criticising the people who seek to shut her up.
Refusing to bow down to the growing backlash, Harris, in one of her latest tweets, stated that she “won’t be intimidated and silenced”.
I won’t be intimidated, and I won’t be silenced.
— Meena Harris (@meenaharris) February 4, 2021
Tagging a photo wherein a mob is seen burning posters of her and Greta Thunberg, Meena Harris tweeted: “Weird to see a photo of yourself burned by an extremist mob but imagine what they would do if we lived in India. I’ll tell you—23 yo labor rights activist Nodeep Kaur was arrested, tortured & sexually assaulted in police custody. She’s been detained without bail for over 20 days.”
In yet another post, she says, “Y’all literally have headlines that say “Brave Indian men burned pictures of women who support farmers” and think that’s normal.”
Y’all literally have headlines that say “Brave Indian men burned pictures of women who support farmers” and think that’s normal
— Meena Harris (@meenaharris) February 5, 2021
Asserting that this wasn’t just about agricultural policy, she said: “It’s also about the persecution of a vocal religious minority. It’s police violence, militant nationalism, and attacks on labor rights. It’s global authoritarianism,” and added: “Don’t tell me to stay out of your affairs. These are all of our issues.”
