Indian-American community holds ‘Boycott China’ protest in New York’s Times Square

Team Udayavani, Jul 4, 2020, 4:02 PM IST

New York: A large number of Indian-Americans chanting ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and other patriotic slogans staged a protest against China at the iconic Times Square here, demanding an economic boycott and diplomatic isolation of the country for its aggression against India.

Indians living in New York and New Jersey states along with the officials of the diaspora organisation – Federation of Indian Associations (FIA) – raised slogans of ‘Boycott Made in China’, ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ and ‘Stop Chinese Aggression’ among others.

The protesters, wearing face masks in view of the coronavirus pandemic, held placards that read ‘We salute our fallen heroes’.

Members of the Tibetan and Taiwanese community also joined the protest and raised slogans against China and called for an economic boycott of the Communist giant. They also held placards that read ‘Tibet stands with India’, ‘Stop Chinese Abuse’, ‘Justice for human rights, minority religions, Hong Kong’, ‘China out of Tibet’, ‘China stop crimes against humanity’ and ‘Boycott Chinese Products.’

The protest titled ‘Boycott China’ was organised on Friday by community leaders Prem Bhandari and Jagdish Sewhani.

“The India of today is different from the India of 1962. We will not tolerate Chinese aggression and its international bullying. We will give a befitting reply to the arrogance of China,” Bhandari, Jaipur Foot USA Chairman and a prominent social activist, told PTI.

“We are sending a strong message to China. The Indian community around the world is standing with its homeland. China shares its borders with 14 nations and is fighting with 18 countries. It shows that it is a bully. Now is the time to stop this bullying and people believe India can do that,” he said.

India believes in the philosophy of the ‘World is one family’ and while focusing on its self-reliance, it will also work for international peace and solidarity, he said.

Bhandari also said he is planning to bring together diplomats from various nations from Australia to India on a common unifying platform against China.

Sewhani underlined that the India of 2020 is militarily and economically strong and has a “strong leader in Prime Minister Narendra Modi. India under him will give a befitting reply to the nefarious designs of President Xi Jinping of China.”