Digging out old unrelated images and videos and circulating them with a false narrative has become a booming cottage industry. Thread on the misinformation that has been spread to discredit farmers' protest and how #AltNewsFactCheck has busted each claim.👇1/n

In the right-wing mind, the easiest way to malign is to manufacture a Muslim angle. So an old photo that predates the bills was dug out & falsely shared BJP office bearers and supporters as Muslim man disguised as Sikh to participate in the agitation. 2/n https://t.co/4oJ9fDl92E
80+ yo 'Shaheen Bagh Dadi' still rattles the RW like no other. So a photo of an elderly Punjabi woman was shared with the false claim that she is Bilkis Bano and is paid to join the protest. KanganaRanaut, GaruavPradhan were among those who shared it. 3/n https://t.co/Cff7ZsTdNg
When the Muslim angle failed, Khalistan angle was pulled out. An old video of pro-Pak, Khalistan chants during cricket World Cup match in UK was shared as farmers' protest. BJP's PritiGandhi, PunitAgwaral etc shared this. 4/n https://t.co/sMh0nOU9R3
A photograph shot during anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh in February was shared with the false claim that it shows 'Hathras Bhabhi' at farmers' protest. BJP leaders were joined by supporters like Shefali Vaidya in spreading the misinformation 5/n https://t.co/BBJ1y9ZyBG
A Sikh man's turban was removed by a cop during 2011 protests of retrenched rural veterinary pharmacists in Mohali. This old video was dug and circulated with the false claim that it is of SDPI's 'Nazir Mohammed' disguised as Sikh at farmers' protest. 6/n https://t.co/HHwkoh0pVI
Then we had BJP's Amit Malviya posting a clipped video of the baton swinging cop to water down police action. In a first in India, Twitter marked his tweet as manipulated media. 7/n https://t.co/Q1Pnb0amlD
Every trick in the bag was used to discredit farmers. A 2019 photo of Shiromani Akali Dal protesting revocation of Articles 370 and 35A from J&K was falsely shared as farmers raising Kashmir issue. ShefaliVaidya was again at the forefront. 8/n https://t.co/gBUIV2e1oo
Another RW favorite target is Ravish Kumar. A photograph of him covering farmers' protest in 2018 was dug out and falsely shared as him participating in the recent agitation and heading for Biryani. 9/n https://t.co/LlVzepbNLe
An AIKS banner from 2018 farmers' protest has been misrepresented by BJP members and supporters to suggest the recent peasant movement has 'ulterior' motives 10/n https://t.co/rHma3lYMLe
A video from 2018 where some labourers alleged they were paid Rs 350 each to take part in an AAP rally is viral with farmers' protest spin in yet another attempt to discredit the ongoing movement. 11/n https://t.co/I8ao6RvkDf
A screenshot from a Facebook Live video covering farmers' protest was edited to show a 'Sikh man without moustache'. False claims suggested that a Muslim man dressed up as Sikh. BJP supporters joined in to mock the Sikh man.12/n https://t.co/75vdUEgfq8
Attempts to link with Shaheen Bagh took centerstage again as photos of anti-CAA protests at Shaheen Bagh were shared with the false claim that the same protesters were spotted at farmers' protest. 13/n https://t.co/UaBSDnIj0k
Desperate to find a Khalistan angle, an old video of a pro-Khalistan rally held in San Francisco, US is widely circulating on social media. It has been falsely linked with the ongoing farmers' protest. 14/n https://t.co/vCGSejDoHF
Here is yet another one. A 7-year-old image of a pro-Khalistan rally in Amritsar has been falsely linked to the farmers’ protest. False messages claim that the protest has an underlying motive to demand a sovereign state for the Sikh community. 15/n https://t.co/d7usFmrBo8
If the farm bills are so wonderful, why so much energy is being devoted to discredit the protests? I'm sure there will be lots more in the coming days.....will keep adding to the thread. 16/n

More from Farmer protest

MyGov has released an excellent booklet "Putting Farmers First" which not only covers in detail the current #FarmLaws2020 but also lays out in structured summarized format the work done by the Modi government in the last 6 years.
Some snippets.


On the current #FarmLaws2020, there is much debate as to what may or may not happen.

WHAT WILL NOT HAPPEN
MSP will not go away; APMC Mandis will not close; Farmers land cannot be taken way

WHAT WILL HAPPEN
Farmers can sell in Mandis & outside; More income; More jobs. 2/10


So what was the need for #FarmLaws2020 reforms when as per Left groups all was well?

1) Fragmented markets
2) Insufficient markets
3) Inadequate Infra
4) Inadequate credit

While rest of the economy was opening up, farmers were restricted. Result - Huge Income Disparity. 3/10


What about the charge that there has not been adequate consultation before #FarmLaws2020 were passed?

THE TRUTH: Two decades of consultation. Farm Reforms are perhaps the only policy reforms where there has been consensus movement in SAME DIRECTION by multiple governments. 4/10


So what are the benefits of the law that allows the farmers to sell in APMC Mandis as at present but also, and importantly, anywhere outside?

1) Better price discovery for farmer
2) Converts present buyers market to sellers (farmer) market
3) Better logistics in rural areas
5/10
Do read this thread. 🙏
Since Farmers protest, Troll Army has been hyperactive digging out old and unrelated vidoes/images and linking it to Farmers protest to demean the protesters. Just like they did for CAA/NRC protesters in Dec-Feb.
Here are a few #AltNewsFactCheck
1/n

A photo that predates both the farmers' protest and the introduction of agricultural reform ordinances approved in June was falsely shared as Muslim man disguised as Sikh to participate in the agitation. #AltNewsFactCheck
2/n
https://t.co/y37jn81Gw9


A photo of an elderly woman participating in a farmers' protest in Punjab in October was shared with the false claim that she is 'Shaheen Bagh Dadi' Bilkis Bano who was present in the recent farmers' protest. #AltNewsFactCheck 3/n

https://t.co/VU524UGTw4


An old video of few Sikhs along with Pakistani fans raising pro-Pak, Khalistan chants during cricket World Cup match in UK is viral as farmers' protest. BJP's Priti Gandhi, Punit Agwaral shared this and later took it down. #AltNewsFactCheck 4/n
https://t.co/i2f2myjfxK


A photograph shot during anti-CAA protests in Shaheen Bagh in February has been shared with the false claim that it shows 'Hathras Bhabhi' at farmers' protest. #AltNewsFactCheck 5/n
https://t.co/ucZ6s44j5U

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This is NONSENSE. The people who take photos with their books on instagram are known to be voracious readers who graciously take time to review books and recommend them to their followers. Part of their medium is to take elaborate, beautiful photos of books. Die mad, Guardian.


THEY DO READ THEM, YOU JUDGY, RACOON-PICKED TRASH BIN


If you come for Bookstagram, i will fight you.

In appreciation, here are some of my favourite bookstagrams of my books: (photos by lit_nerd37, mybookacademy, bookswrotemystory, and scorpio_books)