Support protesters targeted by Hindutva forces!

In September 2018, over 2,000 Hindu individuals, leaders, and organizations from around the world gathered for the World Hindu Congress, which brought together Hindus from over 60 countries for a multi-day conference in Chicago. Among those involved in the Congress were members of groups such as the Vishwa Hindu Parishad of America (VHPA) and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—far-right, Hindu supremacist organizations, active in both India and the United States, whose Indian wings have been linked to deadly violence against Muslims, Dalits, Christians, and other vulnerable minorities.

One of the conference sessions was headlined by none other than RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat. Rather than allowing the leader of the world’s longest-running fascist movement to take the stage unopposed, a group of brave individuals took it upon themselves to conduct a peaceful protest of Bhagwat’s remarks, standing up during the speech to shout slogans protesting the RSS’ Nazi-inspired politics and the Modi government’s egregious violations against Muslims, Dalits, Christians, and other marginalized minorities.

In response to this peaceful protest, the VHPA—whose Indian wing, the VHP, was classified by the CIA World Factbook in 2018 as a “militant religious organization”—went after the protesters with an egregious and baseless lawsuit, seeking hundreds of thousands of dollars in damages. The lawsuit is ongoing to this day, and the protesters have been forced to pay thousands in legal fees and costs as a result.

The VHPA’s baseless attacks against peaceful protesters are nothing short of a brazen assault on the right to freedom of speech, intended to silence those who have the courage to speak out against the hateful, fascist politics of the Hindutva movement. As allies in the fight for global justice and democracy, we stand in firm and unyielding solidarity with the brave individuals who peacefully protested the hate politics on display at the World Hindu Congress, and urge anyone who is able to support the GoFundMe campaign to raise money for their legal fees and other costs associated with the lawsuit.