Transcripts For LINKTV Democracy Now 20240711

On Peaceful Protesters in october, killing 12. This comes after cnn aired of military using live ammunition. We will speak to cnns Award Winning Foreign Correspondent nima elbagir about the killings in nigeria, as well as the crisis in ethiopia. Then we go to india where an estimated 250 million workers, farmers, and their allies recently participated in what is believed to be the largest organized strike in history. India is my country and delhi is the capital. Im not even allowed to enter. Our Home Movement has been peaceful. Theyre shooting this with Water Cannons. We were also beaten. But no farmers retaliated violently. Amy this comes as Indian Farmers continue to protest Prime Minister Narendra Modis move to deregulate agricultural markets. We will speak to indian journalist p sainath, founder of peoples archive of rural india. We will speak about Narendra Modi and covid in india. All that and more, coming up. Welcome to democracy now , democracynow. Org, the quarantine report. Im amy goodman. The United States experienced the worst day of the pandemic so far on wednesday, recording 200,000 new Coronavirus Infections as hospitalizations topped 100,000 for the first time. 3157 people died of covid19 on wednesday unr the uned stat, the highest daily death toll of any nation since the paemic began. Th is more people than died in the atcks on sepmber 11, 2001 and more than have died of covid19 across japan in the route the pandemic. The head of the centers for Disease Control and prevention, dr. Robert redfield, said the u. S. Death toll could rise to nearly 450,000 by the start of february. The reality is decber in january and february are going to be rough times. I believe theyre going to be the most difficultime in the public history of the station. Amy dr. Redfield said the most vulnerable u. S. Residents as many as 100 million of them could be vaccinated against covid19 by march 1. On wednesday, the cdc shortened the recommended amount of time people whove been exposed to an infected person should quarantine down from two weeks to 10 days, or just one week for people who receive a negative coronavirus test and exhibit no symptoms. Meanwhile, the White House Coronavirus task force warned governors around the United States people under 40 years old who traveled for the thanksgiving holiday should assume they are infectious and dangerous to others. The white houses warning was not released publicly but was leaked to the center for public integrity. At the white house, officials are planning to hold at least 25 indoor parties celebrating christmas and hanukkah this month, ignoring federal guidelines on mass gatherings, face masks, and social distancing. White House Press Secretary Kayleigh Mcenany was asked how she can defend indoor gatherings. Businesses,n lose burned down buildings, engage in protests, can also go to a christmas party. Amy meanwhile, secretary of state mike pompeo and his wife have invited hundreds of people to indoor holiday parties at the state department this month even as the agency warned members of the diplomatic corps to cancel any nonmission critical events in favor of online gatherings. The Washington Post reports over 900 invitations have gone out to one such party, planned for december 15, raising fears of more superspreader events in washington, d. C. , hosted by Senior Trump Administration officials. In international news, russia says it will start rolling out its sputnik v vaccine as early as next week, with doctors and Teachers First in line to receive the twojab shot. The Vaccination Program comes as covid19 has been surging in russia, which has the worlds fourth highest confirmed caseload at over 2. 3 million and over 41,000 deaths. In zimbabwe, authorities are tightening restrictions on gatherings as cases rise. Hundreds of students have tested positive after schools reopened last month. European union regulators are cautioning against briins rapid approval of the pfizerbiontechs vaccine for widespread use, saying their longer approval process is safer. European union micalfficials sathey will decide by december 29 ithey will issue provisional authorization fo the vaccine. President trump is continuing his effort to overturn the november election. Onednesdayhe relead a 46mute videfilled wh lies claing the ection wa gged. The vio was relsed jt a daafter atrney genal willm barr sd he haseen no idence ofraud despit trumps clai. Specation is growing trump may fire barr over his remarks. While trump is refusing to concede to joe biden, he has floated the idea of running for president again in four years. In georgia, republican secretary of state Brad Raffensperger repeated his demand wednesday that President Trump stop promoting conspiracy theories about a stolen election, saying trumps rhetoric is fueling violent threats against election officials. This is exactly the kind of language that is at the base of the threat for election workers were simply doing their jobs. Amy raffenspergers wife has been threat sexually and otherwise with text that have been centers of on. Raffenspergers comments came a day after another top Georgia Election official, republican gabriel sterling, blasted georgias two republican senators, david perdue and kelly loeffler, for not condemning violent threats from Trump Supporters, saying, someones going get killed. This ces as twrepublican torneys wvereviously worked on trumps behalf led a rally of Trump Supporters in atlanta, uing georgis not to paicipate in senate ruff onanuary 5 this is sidney powell, who was ousted last month from trumps soalled elite Strike Force Legal te. I would encourage all georgians to make it known you will not vote at all until your vote is secure. Amy powys joined by lynwood who said lin wood who said georgia republicans should refuse to vote for incumbent senators david purdue and kelley loeffler, saying they havent done enough to overturn the results of the election. They have not earned your votes. Dont you give in to them. Why would you go back and vote in another rigged election . Amy if republican senators perdue and loeffler lose their reelection bids to democratic challengers jon ossoff and reverend rafael warnock, democrats will claim a narrow 5150 majority in the senate, with Vice President Kamala Harris serving as a tiebreaker. The World Meteorological organization warned wednesday 2020 is set to be one of the three hottest years on record, despite a la nina weather pattern that usually cools the climate. Here in new york, United Nations secretarygeneral Antonio Gutteres said there was no way the world could prevent the worst effects of the Climate Crisis unless the u. S. Rejoins the paris climate agreement and unites with other nations to reach net zero Carbon Emissions by 2050. To put it simply, the state of the planet is broken. Humidity is waging war on nature. Disease, suicidal. Nature always strikes back and it is doing so with growing force and fury. Amy in news from afghanistan, the Afghan Government and taliban have reached a preliminary deal to move ahead with peace talks in whats being hailed as a major breakthrough. The two sides agreed on a threepage written document to codify rules and procedures for future negotiations. Iran has enacted a new law to increase uranium enrichment and to expel International Nuclear inspectors if u. S. Sanctions are not lifted by early february. Iranian lawmakers approved the measure in response to the assassination of the Nuclear Scientist Mohsen Fakhrizadeh last friday. Israel is widely assumed to have carried out the attack, likely with a blessing from the United States. Meanwhile, the daily beast is reporting President Trump has given a green light to intensify a u. S. Campaign against iran under one condition that it doesnt start world war iii. The u. S. Envoy for iran, elliott abrams, has said the Trump Administration will continue to intensify the already devastating sanctions up until trump leaves office. Meanwhile, president lect joe biden has reaffirmed his commitment to rejoin the landmark Iran Nuclear Deal once he takes office. In an interview with the new york times, biden said the last goddamn thing we need in that part of the world is a buildup of nuclear capability. Saudi arabia and qatar are reportedly close to reaching an agreement to end a more than three year saudiled blockade of qatar. The possible deal comes after senior white house adviser and trumps soninlaw Jared Kushner visited the gulf this week. Saudi arabia, bahrain, the united arab emirates, and egypt imposed a blockade on qatar in 2017 after accusing it of becoming too close to iran. Analysts say the push by the Trump Administration is part of its effort to isolate iran and elevate israeli interests in the region. In 2017, kushners family real estate business appealed to qatars billionaire former Prime Minister to finance a failing manhattan property. One month after he and other qatari investors refused, Jared Kushner pushed the Trump Administration to support the saudiled blockade of qatar. Back in the United States, ivanka trump was deposed tuesday as part of the district of columbia attorney generals lawsuit over misuse of inaugural funds. The d. C. Attorney general is pursuing the Trump Organization and president ial inaugural committee for grossly overpaying for use of the Trump International hotel in d. C. At his 2017 inauguration where the committee spent over 1 million to book a ballroom. The National Labor Relations Board has accused google of illegally firing several workers who were trying to organize a union or protest the companys policies. The nlrb also accused google of interrogating and spying on its workers. Part of the crackdown at google targeted workers who organized protests over the companys handling of Sexual Harassment allegations and over googles work with u. S. Customs and border protection. In other labor news, unions and democrats are condemning the move by President Trump and republicans to freeze the pay of federal workers. Trump previously supported a meager 1 pay increase for federal workers but is now backing a republican funding bill that offers no raise for over 2 million executive branch workers. The American Federation of Government Employees said in a statement the wage freeze proposal is a cruel slap in the face to those who have risked their lives to maintain Government Services for all americans during the worst Health Crisis in our lifetimes. The u. S. Womens soccer team has reached a settlement with the u. S. Soccer federation to receive equal working conditions to their counterparts in the National Mens team. The next legal move for the twotime world cup champions will be to appeal a case over wage discrimination, which was tossed in may. A spokesperson for the team said our focus is on the future and ensuring we leave the game a better place for the next generation of women who will play for this team and this country. And there now native erican activist eddie bentonbanai has died at the age of 89. Edge of a on the reservation in northern wisconsin in the 1930s. In 1960s, he met clyde delacorte. They went on to cove the American Indian movement where bentonbanai let organizing efforts against Police Harassment and brutality directed at Indigenous People in minneapolis and help watched the Treaty Council which works for the sovereignty and selfdetermination of Indigenous Peoples. And those are some of the headlines. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the quarantine report. I am amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. Hi, nermeen. Nermeen welcome to all of our listeners and viewers from around the country and around the world. Amy we begin todays show in africas most populous country, nigeria. The country has been stunned by brutal massacre of more than 100 farmworkers i suspected members of the militant group boko haram. Armed men on motorcycles descended on farmworkers harvesting rice fields in a rural part of borno state. At least 30 of the victims were reportedly beheaded. No group has claimed responsibility. Meanwhile, new revelations have come to light about a bloody government crackdown in legos, nigeria, which helped quash a growing movement against Police Brutality. A scene investigation has exposed the nigerian armies role and attack on protesters in lagos in october. In a shocking display of violence on october 20, the army opened fire on protesters gathered at lekki toll gate a key roadway and protest site. At least 12 people were killed. The lekki toll gate massacre came after weeks of demonstrations against the notorious Nigerian Police unit known as sars come the special antirobbery squad. This is the report by awardwinning cnn Senior Reporter nima elbagir. A warning, some of the images and descriptions are extremely graphic. The Nigerian Government denies this happened. A peaceful protest turned deadly. They came and started shooting at us. Cnn and investigated investigated. After analyzing hours of footage , we are going to tell the story that is radically different than the one the authorities are telling. This is one of the demonstrators having fun livestream the event. He, like many others, gathered in peaceful demonstration of discontent. After weeks of protests against what they called Systemic Police Brutality and corruption. He on the protesters did not know the army is already on its way. This is a military garrison on the south side of lagos. We not your analyzing footage and left at 6 29 p. M. Headed toward lekki tollgate. We could see the Nigerian Government forces. Protesters are on the other side of the gate. As the Nigerian Forces get closer, can see shots. A 6 43, we start hearing gunfire. We know this from the timestamp and data on this video. Heres another angle. Nigerian Authorities Say they fired blanks into the air and not at protesters. But cnn obtained video that appears to show the Army Shooting toward the crowd. Here and at the top of your screen, here. In the midst of the chaotic of theis the switch most nigerian celebrity and activist, she is broadcasting live on instagram. I did not want anyone to come and twist the story. Witnesses say a milants were stopped from entering by nigerian authorities. You can see people athe scene trying to conduct cpr. Witnesses say ambulances were opped from enteri by nturing authorities. You can see people at the scene trying to conduct cpr. Close cnn have identified these are from live admission. They are up next origin. This 15 2005. Nigerian military forces verify these are munitions that are currently in use by nigerias army. In collaboration with the investigation, we were also able to procure export documents that nigeria purchased weaponry from serbia from most every year 2016. N 2005 and the shooting continued past midnight. Eyewitnesses witnesses tell us a was not just the army. At this point, they say Police Arrived and opened fire. So why were live rounds used at peaceful protests . Many family members of the still missing are asking that question as they hunt for answers or the bodies of their loved ones. Elishas brother victor was at the protest that nht. What we are about to show you is incredibly graphic, but it is also incredibly important. Victor. Elishas brother the data and at this footage shows it was filmed at 1 04 a. M. At lekki tollgate. Elisha said he received a call about his brothers death around this time. Displaces victor at that protest at the net witnesses say they were shot at. This is important because i nigerian authorities deny anyone was killed at the scene. Since this incident, cnn has contacted over 100 protesters and family members. Heard andhat they felt. Is where i was shot. Many are in hiding. Some have fled the country. Cnn tried to share these findings with the Nigerian Army but received no response. Lagos state authorities would not comment on our reporting until they said a Judicial Panel of inquiry presents its findings. The wait for answers here continues. Initial scene investigation, the Nigerian Army admitted they did use live bullets in the lekki toll gate massacre. This is part of a follow up report by nima elbagir. It begins with is general ahmed taiwo speaking to the lagos Judicial Panel of inquiry about the incident. I witnesses and families we to say the ammunition used that night i nigerian authorities was very real. I was shot. It bled to my back. This point, the army said they had no libelous. It proves there was live admission at the scene. Amy that is cnn reporter nima elbagir. We are joined by the awardwinning Senior International correspondent based in london. It is great to have you back under these difficult, difficult circumstances, though. Talk about the significance of this protest that happened not only in lagos, but all over nigeria but this like a munition used by the military and what you forced the military to admit and what this ans for the country. It had a Chilling Effect on the protest movement, on the ability for the young people and generally young people to come forward and make their voices heard. Whose the activists instagram lives a key part of the evidence we reviewed, dj switch, she said it made us wearinga dictatorship the face of democracy. That goes to the heart of the sentiment of the people who thought that the legal right to protest and now find themsves in hiding or having been forced leave the country or worse, under some kind of arrest. It has been really difficult for people in the country. From our perspective, we never wanted to get into a backandforth with the nigerian authities. But when we put out our peace, we kept hearing from these families who were still looking for their loved ones, how hurtful it had been for them to hear the Nigerian Government deny that they had anything to doith this huge and grievous loss. We would back in my colleague received a call with somebody who had access to footage so it was important for us to come back out and reinforce what we have been able to find and also to use the governments own they did haveng live ammunition. That was such a key issue. Because up until that point, they denied it. Nermeen in addition to that response fromhe Nigerian Government, the minister of information respondeto the allegations in the report by threatening to sanction cnn for spreading misinformation, as he lekkiand saying the shooting was a massacre without bodies. Has he changed his perspective . Know. And i can only imagine if i was grieving a lot goi to hear the minister speak about that that night. They threaten us with sanctions, accused us of being fake news, have had fake human rights advocates putting forward petitions to the tribunal to have us be forced to appear, otherwise we would face criminal action. And that is what theyre doing to us. Can you imagine what they are doing to nigern journasts . They were fine for reporting on lekki toll gate. They have waged war against the press. In a way, im glad they have come after cnn because it has allowed nigerian journalists to able to report and away this is what the media landscape looks like in nigeria. And yet we hear nothing from the leadership around the world about this. Nermeen your report mentioned the lagos Judicial Panel of inquiry that is looking into this incident, as well as broader abuses by the police. In that inquiry is supposed to go on for about six months. Can you tell us what the inquiry is so far found and what you expect to come out of it eventually . Most of the people we have spoken to on the ground are concerned because the minister of information at one of the press conferences where he was having a go at cnn came out and said, well, we are very satisfied. We of the federal government are very satisfied with the conduct of the police and the army. That rings alarm bells because it presumes innocence months ahead of the findings of the panel. With this is have asked for protection to appear before the panel. The counsel representing the protesters has asked for protection by the panel, for the panel to officially compel the government to give him some kind of security. He says he has received some pretty frightening threats. None of that has been forthcoming. If many of those who were there at the scene feels safe appearing in front of the panel, what exactly is the panel going to be able to adjudicate on . Amy and what we are talking about, these protests or precisely against Police Brutality. If you could talk about the significance of this movement throughout nigeria and also refer to the latest massacre, a military massacre, but what happened with boko haram . Both with what happened with boko haram in the last few months with regards to Police Brutality speak to the same thing, which is a since by the people adventure that the state has fundamentally failed in its duties toward them. Whether it failed with regards authority and are policing and the perception that corruption isnt just something being ignored or perpetuated by politicians within the state system, but even the police those who are supposed to be cracking down on this are themselves corrupt. Although at the moment this does seem to have had a Chilling Effect, there is a sense from the activists im speaking to their trying very hard to find a way to make their voices heard again. One of the activists to organize the protest spoke at the Senate Foreign Relations Committee a few weeks ago. Theyre are also speaking to that democratic black caucus. They are trying hard to amplify what is happening in nigeria. With the boko haram massacre, and we believe about 110 civilians were killed, this is because the local Community Felt so unprotected by the state authority that they actually made a deal with boko haram militants that they would feed them, that they would provide them with resources and support if they were left alone. Some militants came back and overstepped and actually took forcibly key elements of these farmers livelihoods. And when the farmers just went to get their possessions back, this is what it resulted in. It resulted in the horror that was perpetuated over the weekend. They both rise from the same place, which is assents by nigerian citizens that its government is ineffective at best and corrupt at worst. Amy nima elbagir, were going to go to break. We come back, we want you are based in london. We want to ask about covid and the vaccine in london. But also the latest news on ethiopia with so many refugees fleeing from to gray into sudan, which is where you are from. This is democracy now . E are speaking to nima elbagir stay with us. [music break] amy amy this is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the quarantine report. Im amy goodman. The United Nations as it has reached a deal with ethiopias government to allow humanitarian access to the northern Tigray Region and start providing ages some 6 Million People caught in the crossfire of the deadly conflict. The u. N. Has one tens of thousands of euro trains are running out of food. Eritreans are running out of food. A bloody conflict adding to the already Alarming Number of displaced people and refugees the country and neighboring nations like sudan. Ethiopia declared victory over the weekend after announcing it took control of the capital of tigray with the beration front say their continuing to fight. Still with us, nima elbagir, awardwinning Senior International correspondent for cnn based in london. I am sure covid is keeping you down there for the moment. Isyou can explain what happening both in ethiopia and its effects in the surrounding areas like your whole country of sudan. In essence, think the best would understand what is happening is to consider it a conflict over power that has descended into potentially a tigray ethnic tigray, the liberation front, have allied with many elements from within it sounds complicated but fundamentally, it is about who gets to rule. And how do you maintain that wage war against the Tigray Region. He says he was forced to postpone elections because of the impact of covid19 on ethiopia, but then he accused the tigrays liberation front of war. Say theythe tigray have been targeted based on the ethnic distinction on their id cards. So people are telling us they are being pulled over at best jail into teen and worst been forced to flee in sudan. The Prime Minister says not a single civilian was injured in all of this, in all of these weeks of fighting. And what we are hearing from our team on the border is that is just not true. We have images of civilians who are injured, who have been hit by bullets. One lady told us she had to flee her home and forced to give they on the roof, that were not allowed to cross over into sudan. So on the backgrounds that took her days, for a trip that should have taken hours, she eventually gave birth and she was met at the border by our teams and the doctors and virtually comment wonderfully, her child survived and subiss but that is ju one story. And so did she but that is just one story. Complete communications blackout. It is hard to find out what is going on. Just awarded the nol peace prize ls than a year ago. Starting a peace treaty with eritrea. The irony is, after he signed a peace treaty, it allowed him and eritrea to unite against the common folk, the tigray liberation front. In hindsight for him to have won a Nobel Peace Prize for something that has enabled him to wage a war on the entire region, 6 Million People, is aplling. It is appalling to think about. That tensou mentioned fromousands of refugees ethiopia, the Tigray Region, have fled into sudan. This comes amidst the coronarus outbreak in the country. Just lastonth the last democratic elected Prime Minister died from the virus after spending several weeks in hospital in the united arab emirates. Could you talk about what the situation is in sudan with the pandemic . How many people have been affected . How many have died . And what the prospects are for any kind of vaccine reaching the country within the next several months . Then terms of the vaccine, vaccines that have been approved so far or are in the fast track to be approved, the Moderna Vaccine and pfizer vaccine, both of them need to be kept at 70, so that is impossible. Impossible in a country like sudan. In terms of our data, there is an absence of testing regime. Is not really one here in the u. K. Or even the u. S. , so imagine sudan. Anecdotally, i alone know maybe 10 people who have died of covid are covidrelated complications in the last few months. I can only imagine what that looks like on the ground. An economic effects of this, asking people to isolate when they live daytoday, or asking them to start. People are just hoping against hope the Oxford University vaccine which cant be capped at the cap normal temperatures, that that finally comes online which could be kept at normal temperatures, finally comes online. Amy were speaking to nima elbagir, seated correspondent, based in london. I want to ask about this latest news that britain has become the first country in the world to approve use of the pfizerbiontech coronavirus vaccine. Pfizer has said the vaccine is 95 effective at preventing covid19 in a large clinical trial. Authorities said the first 800,000 doses will become available across the country starting next week. The British Health minister matt hancock spoke earlier this week. We will start with those who are most vulnerable to coronavirus, and then once we the started protected most vulnerable, it will help us all get back to normal and back to all of the things that we love. Amy the u. K. Has europes highest covid19 death toll, nearing 60,000 and over 1. 6 million confirmed cases. You are in london. If you can talk about britain being the first to start to use this vaccine. It has raised a number of issues. The head of the fda has been called twice to the white house in the last two days. Clearly, because of trumps anger that the u. S. Is not the first. But the expressing concern about how fast the u. K. Is doing this. You mentioned sudan not being able to keep to pfizers 100 degrees below 100 degrees fahrenheit below zero temperatures, even that is preventing the vaccine, apparently, in your country, throughout britain, of getting to Nursing Homes because they cannot figure out a way to keep it cold is all that and getting little bits of vaccines to different places. Seems Prime Minister Boris Johnson and his government, they did this to themselves by being so quick to announce victory, we won. The europeanoad union into saying, you won, because your Public Health the health body that governs when vaccines or medications, like to the general public reviewed less data which i think was both astonishing people here but also completely unsurprising given the crisis of Public Confidence there have been under this government both because of its handling of the entire crisis the death toll is appalling but also because of their willingness to turn anything into propaganda. This was not a propaganda moment. All it seems to have done is scientist to raise their head above the parapet in other countries since i, well, i would not be too happy the way you went around it. Realistically, i think in spite of the crisis of Public Health, almost everyone ive spoken to has said, hey, theyre such a desperation to get any sense of normality, as im sure there is in the u. S. Amy thank you so much for being with us, nima elbagir, awardwinning Senior International correspondent for cnn based in london. Her recent investigative report on nigeria is headlined they pointed their guns at us and started shooting how a bloody night of bullets and brutality quashed a young protest movement. Next up, we go to india, where 250 million farmers, workers, and alice recently joined in in what is believed to be the largest organized strike in world history. Stay with us. [music break] amy brooklyn musician sonny singh, koi bol ram. This is democracy now , democracynow. Org, the quarantine report. Im amy goodman with nermeen shaikh. We turn now to india, where tens of thousands of famers are converging on the capital city of new delhi, by tractor and on foot, to demand the repeal of new laws that deregulate agricultural markets. The indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi says the measures give farmers more freedom to set their own prices and sell directly to corporate buyers. But opponents say the neoliberal policies are a boon to corporations and roll back key labor and crop price protections that could have a devastating impact on the livelihood of farmers. Agriculture is the leading source of income for more than half of indias 1. 3 billion population. The ongoing protests come after a nationwide demonstration thursday, when an estimated 250 million workers, farmers and their allies, joined in what is believed to be the largest organized strike in history. Organizers say tens of thousands of demonstrators have now gathered at each of new delhis three borders, in cold winter conditions, and more farmers are on their way. Police have put up barriers to block them from coming into the center of the city. This is one of the farmers protesting. India is my country and delhi is the capital. Not even allowed to enter my capital city. His in spite of farmers never doing any hooliganism. Our movement has been peaceful. We were also beaten but no farmers retaliated violently. Amy today government officials are meeting with farmer representatives for a fourth time, and Farmer Union Leaders have invited agriculture minister Narendra Singh tomar to their protest site. This comes as covid rages through the india, which has reported more cases than any country in the world outside the United States. For more, we go to mumbai to speak with p. Sainath, a longtime indian journalist and the founder of peoples archive of rural india, or pari. It is great to have you back again. You use to write for the hindu and the times of india. You are an awardwinning journalist but felt the majority of people were not being heard and you wanted to give voice to the voiceless. Talk about this most significant protest, the largest believed to be the largest organized protest in world history, p. Sainath. The 26th of october, amy, all the workers in the country, many, many gigantic Public Sector units in power and transport, in a number of Public Sector organizations and across the banks, insurance companies, and workers from other departments seized work and went out. It is interesting. They were protesting against a new set of labor codes come absolutely vicious codes, that have been rammed through parliament. Of the working class out on the street endorsed the demands of the farmers in delhi. A tremendous kind of show of when and solidarity millions of workers were saying, we are with the farmers. So that was one extraordinary thing. That was on october 26. Maybermers now, think 200,000 to 250,000 of them on five points of the gelling border, the government approach to them is actually extreme callous and very, very aggressive. On the one hand, are putting out some stuff for the media saying, you know, they are talking to them, they want to solve this problem. On the other, the Prime Minister is making speeches in his own constituency that this is a conspiracy by the opposition. If you need to know how deep this problem is biting in the farmers, as of yesterday, paint job, a famous state in india, the olympians, those athletes of medalsthat have one under the olefins, are planning to throw them back at the december 5. N ny artists are returning their civilian awards. The government has no sign of shame about it at all. It is trying to look like the reasonable host at the same time, it has put up barricades, barbed wire, dead by 10 feet by 10 feet trenches and to the national highways to prevent these farmers from reaching delhi and have used Water Cannons and tear gas Water Cannons and the coldest winter that delhi has ever had. It had its coldest day in 70 years two days ago and youre using Water Cannons of the old, several of whom those farmers early their late 60s and 70s. On that kind of person you are using Water Cannons and telling cash given captive media of course that makes it look like the government is just getting it wrong in the way they are to the farmers. These are they just need to be spoken to sweetly. Laws there protesting, amy, are devastating. , could you sainath talk about these protests in the india . Conomic context in unemployment is now at 27 , which is unprecedented in the country. As we mentioned earlier,lmost 60 of indias 1. 3 billion people rely on agriculture as their main source of livelihood. 20182019,s from over 20,000 farmers died by suicide. Anwhile, the richest made in ania has made 12 million hour through the markdow since the lockdown began as a result of the pandemic in march. Can you talk about the broader context . The entire protest driven by a deepening crisis are very fundamenlly tied to the larger structural inequalities youre pointing to. In just four months of the pandemic, just after july, the entire bunch of indian billionaires, about 120 of them, added 35 to their wealth. One third to their already considerable wealth coming out around 485 billion. Beingd bonnie went from onef the richest people in the world, the last year no half, made it down made it up to rank number four. At the same time, there are new 76 rs, studies showing us rural population cannot meal. A nutritious they cannot afford a basic nutritious diet. Even if they spend even if they spent two thirds of their income on food. If siteom that, even spent 100 ofans their income on food and nothing else no transport, health, education, rent did not spend any of that, it would still mean 63. 3 could not afford a nutritious diet if they spent every last bit of money they earned. So you are seeing these unbelievable gaps. Phenomenal caps. The pandemic has provided you need understand one important thing about the protests. For that you need understand what kind of mischief was played in the laws. Three major laws have been passed in parliament, which devastate the farmers. You mentioned them as you introduced the subject. Two days later with the opposition walked out in protest, they ran through four liver laws quantifying legislations and made them into four and rammed it through. The russians, why did they feel the need to pass these laws at the height of the pandemic . Modi has a majority. The reasoning was these blokes are on their knees now. They cant organize. They cant hit back. Economistsny leading and editors incited the govern ment saying never waste a good crisis, paraphrasing winston churchill, by the way, badly. Indias second 1991 moment when we embrace the world of near liberalism. This is the time to ram through gressive nextgeneration reforms. In the government, believing that, went for this action not understanding result of these farmers who have ce back massively at the government. Just one clause i want to read you from the laws. You will not i dont know, could tell me if you havever read laws in the democratic naon which have a clause like this. Not only have they rammed prices, onse laws on contract farming, on essential commodities, they have included this clause i knew one of the most important of these laws. It says no suit, no prosecution or other Legal Proceedings shall lie against the Central Government or the state other officerany of the Central Government or any officer of the State Government or any other person in respect of anything right corporations and brackets wearing of the person in respect of anything which is done in a good faith were intended to be done in good faith under this act and no civil court shall have jurisdiction to entertain any suit or proceedings in respect of any matter connected to the actions under this law. Have you read many laws like that in a democratic country . So they have taken with the Legal Recourse of the citizen. This, iten yelling out is not just the farmers who are affected. Nobody else gets sued, either. There dismantling the right to Legal Recourse. The bar council of jelly come the capital city, the bar council of delhi road to the president of india saying this is an extremely dangerous thing that is happening. You are taking away the fundamental rights the citizen to move the courts when in distress. So this is the kind of stuff. At the same time, inequalities areeepening. The unemployment figures, that,, they have come down as an opening happens, but people are returning to much worse conditions as workers. They have tampered with the Gold Standard of labor law, which used to be eight hours i know you can have 12 hours a day without overtime the last four hours. Youre having a massive, massive class divide in what is happening. With the top 0. 01 adding phenomenally to its well and a huge amount of distress at the bottom end. Amy i want to go to a clip of narendra saying as we talk about covid and the effect of the pandemic on india. He used to run a food stall and explained to your news organization, the peoples archive of rural injury, howis family has been affected by the lodown. Lockdown our day wereike this. We wouldakup at 4 00n the rning. Four hours would go in just making this. From 3 00 to 10 00 we should do business. 00, i wou reach home. Work. E xt day, th same before work was going ll. I coultake care of my pares. Since the lockdown ban, i ve be in deep trouble. , could you sainath talk about the situation within lockdown in india is an effect on mortality rate there coronavirus is a link reportedly much lower than the mortality rate certainly that here in the u. S. , bualso europe . Lower than that of the u. S. , but the numbers we have on covid19, on infections, arehe fatality rates extremely suspect. During one or two states which are good at following up tracking, tracing, estate that that has done much better and a helluva lot of the testing. I mean, were doing very low levels of testing. You will get lower numbers. Second, muchf the testg, the oak of the testing in many rapid antigen on basis, not and the rapid into the rapid testw, had a high proportion of false negatives. So we dont really know, and i dont buy this idea of being one of the lowest fatal d rates under the world. It is true of what are two states which have much Better Health infrastructure and a much better system of Public Health that a country as a whole which of its Gross Domestic Product on health and, two, most of the expenditure on health is outofpocket by poor, ordinary indians. In fact, t last the surveys on health inhe National Sample survey have shown the number of indians not seeking medical attention purely for financial reasons has doubled in 20 years. Thenot going to second part of your question i mean, the second aspect of your student, nermeen, there are an incredible number of noncovered deaths which have the completeuse of collapse of the Health Infrastructure and the total focus of what little there is on covid, some people dying of cardiac arrest, people dying of stroke, people dying of a number curable,diseases, treatable diseases, that number is surging massively. I, myself, since april 5, have lost 14 friends and acquaintances i knew very well of jt one of them just one of them died of covid. Many of the others, their families took them from hospital to hospital to try and get admission and could not. Amy we have to leave it there but i want to thank you for being with us. We will be visiting with you again in mumbai, india. P sainath, awardwinning indian journalist and founder of peoples archive of rural india, or pari. Very happy birthday to thank you for joining us. From our studio in tokyo, this is nhk newsline. We begin a global look at the coronavirus. Deaths worldwide have topped 1. 5 million according to Johns Hopkins university in the United States. About 10,000 people have been dying around the world every day since last month. The situation is