I must say to my people who stand on the worn threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds. Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred ”. — Martin Luther King Jr, I Have a Dream, Speech on August 28, 1963
The incident of the brutal killing of George Perry Floyd Jr. an African American on May 25, 2020, in the police custody at Minneapolis on was shocking and saddening for the United States and the entire world. The rioting and looting by the protesters in the name of ‘Black Lives Matter’ are equally disturbing. The fire of hatred and violence is spreading all across the Anglo-Saxon world. In Bharat, few influencers, guided by the anti-democratic ideologies of Communism and Jihadism, are instigating the similar rioting. We need to draw lessons to curb divisive manipulations.
Since the inception of the US as a country, racialism has been the issue. We find the official record of carrying the enslaved Africans by the White European settlers to the land of aboriginals to fulfil their labour needs in 1619. Since then, after the War of Independence against colonialism and the Civil War of 1860-61 and timely intervention by the visionary leadership of Abraham Lincoln, the issue of racial discrimination persisted. Since then, series of movements from the Montgomery Bus Boycott, to the March to Washington for jobs and freedom, took place across the country.
Amidst all odds, many Black Americans have carved out their space in various walks of public life from Hollywood and sports to politics. The Presidency of Barack Obama considered as the peak of that ascendency. There was a counter, consolidation of the white Christians in favour of Donald Trump. The liberal monopolists who believed that they could dictate the terms for democracy were proved wrong. They were looking for an opportunity to divide the country to negate the mandate with their friends in ‘Left intelligentsia’. The CoVid19 pandemic has hit the US hard, and the Black Americans being from the lower strata are affected disproportionately by the economic slowdown. On this background, the ghastly killing of George Floyd by police took place. External manipulations by already isolated China are also being alleged. The hijacking of the Black Lives Matter movement by the radicals is the systemic outcome of these events.
Due to the hijacking of this movement by radicals, the real issues of racial discrimination are sidelined and the message of Martin Luther King Jr to lift the nation ‘from the quicksand of racial injustice to the solid rock of brotherhood’ is completely forgotten. Not surprisingly, the same instigators who had orchestrated the anti-CAA protests in Delhi are hoping to use this opportunity to save the culprits of the riots.
The anti-CAA Delhi Riots investigation has been ruffling the feathers of many privileged who thought themselves to be above the law. They are also trying to compare the incomparable, the Blacks in the US and Muslims in Bharat. China can also manipulate the digital space to create unrest in Bharat. To avoid the danger of another rioting, we need a constant process of social reformation along with the strict actions against criminals. The edifice of freedom, equality and fraternity has to be strengthened to ensure justice. The US will have to take corrective actions. Still, for us in Bharat, we need to continue the process of reconciliation based on our civilisational legacy and expose the radicals who are trying to instigate people on the caste or communal lines.
@PrafullaKetkar
