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What’s making the news
Actress Swara Bhasker, who condemned the Kathua and Unnao rape cases, is at the receiving end of Hindu nationalists again after the latter resorted to boycotting Amazon company’s app and its ratings. This boycott happened soon after Amazon had a tweet featuring the actress.
The tweet has been deleted since then after several users downrated the app and uninstalled with tweets saying that they would disassociate themselves from a company that features an actress who “offended their religion”. This so-called offence is after Swara and several other actresses shared a photo of them holding a placard with the words: “I am Hindustan. I am ashamed. #JusticeForAasifa.”
I am Hindustan. I am Ashamed. #JusticeForOurChild #JusticeForAasifa
8 years old. Gangraped. Murdered.
In ‘Devi’-sthaan temple. #Kathua and lest we forget #unnao Shame on us! #BreakTheSilence #EndTheComplicity #ActNow pic.twitter.com/O8rABOrZq9— Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) April 13, 2018
Users, including writer Shefali Vaidya who writes for various right-winged websites, threatened to uninstall/downrate Amazon if they continued featuring Swara.
The Bollywood ecosystem went after @ShefVaidya and hounded her for days. Glad there is finally some semblance of consolidation now. https://t.co/mpuP2VD2bV
— Nupur (@UnSubtleDesi) April 20, 2018
I don’t have an @amazonIN app installed, but I refuse to buy anything from Amazon till it stops associating with activist-for-hire @ReallySwara, who insulted my country and my temples! #BoycottAmazon
— Shefali Vaidya (@ShefVaidya) April 19, 2018
Hey “Reduced To VAGI*A” @ReallySwara this the power of we NATIONLIST ??
Now our next step is to show you your real place,
Now we will Boycott your upcoming movie #VeereDiWedding
Shashanka Ghosh trust me this movie will give You Horrofic dreams?https://t.co/55rztj6ODL— GoOd LoOkInG “ INDIAN ” (@EncapsulatdSoul) April 20, 2018
@amazonIN Thanks Amazon for respecting the sentiments of the people by removing Swara Bhasker.
— Radhakrishnan (@Muthusundaram) April 20, 2018
#BoycottAmazonIn campaign defeats the JNU cum Bollywood arrogance. @ShefVaidya ShefVaidya has magnificently displayed what the real Bharatiya Women can do. Kudos! https://t.co/eYfHm6f4ku
— prafulla ketkar (@prafullaketkar) April 20, 2018
At the same time, there are users who are condemning Amazon for giving into pressure considering.
Hello @AmazonIN if you drop @ReallySwara over rape apologists bullying her for taking a stand over a rape that is being justified by the state, I don’t see a reason why I should be loyal to you either. Frankly, I find the idea of shopping with you repulsive.
— Vidyut #DestroyTheAadhaar (@Vidyut) April 21, 2018
This hounding of Amazon and @ReallySwara is just a reflection of our growing mob culture. The same mob mindset that beliefs in lynching for beef, believes that a person needs to be harmed for speaking against something. Country is being overpowered by exactly that.
— Stuti Mishra (@StuteeMishra) April 21, 2018
Bhakts are campaigning to Uninstall Amazon App because of @ReallySwara . Good move. Hope they do it. Average IQ of Amazon App user will increase drastically
— Joy (@Joydas) April 19, 2018
In a recent interview with IANS, Swara spoke about why despite Bollywood celebrities condemning and initiating a dialogue on the recent rape cases, they still end up getting trolled and hated.
“So many of my friends and colleagues from the film industry participated in it and it was a success. It really brought attention to the issue…and look at the kind of hate that has come to all of us,” she said.
She added:
” Especially from the organised trolls of the Sangh Parivar and BJP itself, the kind of vicious trolling and frankly irrelevant, stupid hateful messages that have been coming. And then you actually ask yourself why Bollywood actors should put themselves out there and become targets of such hateful, horrible paid trolls.”
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