By Gregory William
At the end of February, Trump spent two days in India, being regaled at lavish events by far-right president, Narendra Modi. They held a mass rally at a sports stadium in Gujarat, where Trump declared that the two countries are united in a fight against “radical Islamic terrorism.” But this is an extreme distortion of what both the Indian and U.S. governments are doing, and we must call this event what it was: a fascist rally.
While Trump was in the country whipping up hatred, at least 40 people were killed and thousands injured as anti-Muslim violence swept the streets of Delhi. Mosques, Muslim-owned businesses, and homes were set on fire, and multiple people were burned alive or lynched. These events parallel Kristallnacht (Night of Broken Glass), a wave of anti-Jewish violence unleashed by the Nazis in November 1938. This was a prelude to the Holocaust.
Since coming to power in 2014, Modi has carried out assaults on workers on behalf of big business, pushing through cuts to healthcare, education, and more. All the while, he has stirred up ethnic conflict. Hate crimes in India dramatically spiked, as in the U.S. after Trump’s election. In December 2019, the Indian parliament passed a citizenship law that discriminates against Muslims. They have imposed military occupation on the semi-autonomous, Muslim majority states of Jammu and Kashmir.
Trump and Modi are birds of a feather and are leaders in the right-wing nationalist movement that is happening in many countries. Both have nothing to offer the masses of the people except division and hatred. This only benefits the ultra-rich who would rather see workers fighting each other than fighting against them.
In opposition to the violence, socialist and communist parties organized demonstrations across India, from Kerala to Kolkata. The parties have also organized aid for those affected. For example, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has organized solidarity and relief committees that are collecting funds and working directly with victims.