Delhi Police files FIR after Greta Thunberg tweets 'protest toolkit'

New Delhi: The Delhi Police cyber cell registered a first information report (FIR) against the creator(s) of a ‘protest toolkit’ that teenage climate change activist Greta Thunberg tweeted Wednesday and then deleted a few hours later. Rumours and reports on Twitter earlier suggested that the FIR was specifically against Thumberg but the Delhi Police said that wasn’t the case.

“We have not named anybody in the FIR. It is only the creators of the toolkit which is a matter of investigation,” Praveer Ranjan, special commissioner of police, said at a press conference on Thursday evening.

According to reports online, the FIR has been registered under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), and 120B (criminal conspiracy), of the Indian Penal Code.. ET was not able to independently verify this.


The charges come after the 18-year-old tweeted a protest toolkit “for those who want to help” the growing protests by farmers.

The toolkit shared by Thunberg includes peaceful methods to mobilise support for the protests, such as recording a video to show solidarity or “organise solidarity protests either at or near Indian Embassies”, a common practice in the US and Europe.

Once the news of the FIR broke, Thunberg tweeted her continued support for the movement.

“No amount of hate, threats or violations of human rights will ever change that. #FarmersProtest,” she wrote.



The farmer protests garnered huge international support this week after pop-singer Rihanna tweeted a news article with six simple words: “Why aren’t we talking about this?”.


International journalists and celebrities joined her and most recently the US State Department urged "dialogue" and expressed concern over the government blocking the internet at the borders of Delhi to stifle the protests.

"We recognize that unhindered access to information, including the internet, is fundamental to the freedom of expression and a hallmark of a thriving democracy,” the state department said.



Tweets by Rihanna, Thunberg and other celebrities abroad prompted a response from the government of India. Within hours of Rihanna’s tweet, the Indian government’s Ministry of External Affairs issued a statement before unleashing a battalion of top sportsmen and celebrities to tweet it to their huge audiences with similarly worded appeals for “unity” and calls to reject “propaganda and meddling” in India’s “internal matter”.