London sleep out to support India’s farmer protest

By Nav Kaur Johal | BRITAIN |

A few dozen protestors slept outside the Indian High Commission in London on Saturday (8 May 2021) in solidarity with the massive farmers’ protest that has entered into the sixth month. The crowd would have been bigger if not for the limitations posed by the authorities in view of the Covid-19 pandemic. The people came from all communities.

The protest began with the sound of Rehraas Sahib echoing around the streets of London. Then came speeches from the organiser Daljit Singh Mehat and “Toxification” documentary director Rehmat Kaur Rayatt.

Daljit spoke of the power of the farmers and how everyone must play their part in the historical movement, demanding an immediate end to their oppression by the Indian state.

Rehmat, an award winning film director, shone a light on the challenges of the farmers, post the Green Revolution. She rehearsed a beautiful poem written by a farmer she met during the making of her documentary.

Following the speeches, the protestors sat together to pray for the farmers on the outskirts of Delhi and also to pay their respects to the ones that have sadly lost their lives in the historical movement. The Delhi leg of the protest began towards end November, but there had been continued protests in Punjab months earlier.

Nishkam Sikh Welfare Awareness Team served the protestors with food and drink on the night. Protestors held signs and banners in support of the farmers, with the youngest of the protestors, Raajan Singh, being just 8 years old.

The protestors then set up to sleep out and remained in Chardhi Kala throughout the night. Unable to put up tents to sleep in, due to U.K. legislation, the protestors slept in sleeping bags on the floor outside the high commission building.

Daljit was joined on Instagram live by both Dr Swaiman Singh and Jesse Singh (AKA Stacking Purpose), who have both left their homes and families back in the US and Canada, respectively, to join and provide seva for the farmers in Delhi.

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