BY TCN News,
Detroit: Giving a global voice to the ongoing protests against the caste atrocities committed in India against Dalits, the Ambedkar Association of North America (AANA) took out protest marches demonstrating support for #ChaloUna Freedom march at many places in USA.
A mile-long protest rally was held on Saturday by Michigan Chapter of AANA from Hart Plaza to Detroit riverfront passing through Marriott Hotel, GM Plaza. Parallel protest marches were organized on Saturday and Friday in Boston, New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Fransisco, DC and Dallas.
The rally in Detroit was strategically organized here so as to draw maximum attention of Americans and Canadians, on the brutal and barbaric atrocities on Dalits in India and in solidarity with #ChaloUna Freedom march. The route of the rally is a major attraction area where American Canadians gathers for hart Plaza summer festivals and concerts.
The show of solidarity for #ChaloUna was witnessed by USA-Canadian border crossing traffic, the second busiest crossing between the United States and Canada.
The slogans – ‘HE, HE HO HO, CASTE SYSTEM GOT TO GO’, ‘DALIT RIGHTS ARE HUMAN RIGHTS’, ‘END CASTE APARTHEID NOW’, ‘ATROCITY NATION’ and ‘END HINDU FASCISM’ were raised during the march along with some speeches by protesters.
Some protesters voiced questions such as ‘COW HOLY, DALIT UNHOLY?’ ‘COW PROTECTION OR DALIT OPPRESSION?’ and hash tags such as #DALIT NOT COWS, #MODI FAIL. Some statements aligning with #ChaloUna read : ‘IF A COW IS YOUR MOTHER, THEN A BULL SHOULD BE YOUR FATHER’, ‘SURVEY IN 1600 VILLAGES SHOW THAT DALITS ARE DISCRIMINATED IN 98 DIFFERENT WAYS, WITH 45000 CASES OF CASTE ATROCITIES EVERY YEAR’.
Members of AANA emphasized the importance of holding such a gathering in the important cross roads of USA and Canada like Detroit. Dalit rights activist brought attention toward the barbaric crimes against them and urged the Indian government to strictly implement the rule of Indian constitutional championed by Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.
The members also showed their surprise and dismay at PM Modi’s reported suggestion to shoot him first before shooting the Dalits, as if shooting anyone in India is acceptable.
“This is very dangerous signal to so called Cow Vigilantes terrorists, who’s leader Satish Kumar seensporting an AK47 in his fb profile and was seen attending discussions in ‘National TV’s with pride”, AANA said in a statement after the rally.
PM’s statement suggests that there is an existence of brutal violence of which the PM is well aware of and that he is cognizant that Dalits are shot, a fact which is troubling and needs serious attention, the statement further reads.
The protest rally was concluded after four hours of rally, slogans and speech with a strong suggestion by members of Ambedkar Association of North America, Detroit chapter to continue their fight against fascism in India referring to Gujarat as the dent in Indian anti-caste sentiments.
More such protest rallies in solidarity with #ChaloUna are also planned in some more places in USA, Canada, Germany, UK, Poland, Italy, France, Japan, Australia, and Russia as a next phase.
Following are some of the placards that were displayed in Detroit during the protest:
AAZADI KOOCH
CASTE IS A CRIME
#DALIT NOT COWS
#DALIT WOMEN IN FROEFRONT IN UNA
DALITS DEMAND ALLOCATED PLANS + SUB PLAN MONEY BACK
DALITS DEMAND ALL THEIRALLOCATED AND LOOTED LANDS BACK
END CASTE APARTHEID NOW
END HINDU FASCISM
IF YOU MILK YOUR ‘COW MOTHER’ DEAD THEN YOU SKIN YOUR DEAD COWS
IF A COW IS YOUR MOTHER, THEN A BULL SHOULD BE YOUR FATHER
IN SOLIDARITY WITH ‘UNA DALIT ATYACHAR LADAT SAMITI’
#MODI FAIL
ONWWARD TILL FREEDOM / DALIT SANGARSH
PROTEST IN SOLIDARITY WITH DALIT UPRISING IN INDIA FOR FREEDOM DIGNITY AND AN END TO EXPOLITATION
RECLAIM DALIT DIGNITY
STOP CALLING DALIT OPPRESSION AS COW PROTECTION
STOP CASTE ATROCITIES. PERIOD.
STOP FORCING 1,100,000 DALITS TO MANUALLY CLEAN YOUR SHIT AND GUTTERS
SURVEY IN 1600 VILLAGES SHOW THAT DALITS ARE DISCRIMINATED IN 98 DIFFERENT WAYS, WITH 45000 CASES OF CASTE ATROCITIES EVERY YEAR
TRUTH OF CASTE IN INDIA – A CASTE HINDU CAN KILL, MURDER, RAPE, EXPLOIT, DISCRIMINATE, BURN CHILDREN ALIVE, MALIGN OTHER COMMUNITIES, SUPPORT RIOTS, SUPPORT RAPISTS, MURDERER GURUS, BURN PEOPLE’S HOME, GENERATE COMMUNAL HATRED, DALITS DOGS AND MUSLIMS PUPPIES, LABEL ANYONE TERRORIST WHOEVER SPEAKS AGAINST BRAHMIN HEGEMONY, HANG INNOCENTS, KEEP IN JAILS, KEEP DALITS AND MINORITIES UNDERDEVELOPED, BAN DALITS FROM ENTERING PUBLIC PLACES