This article is focused on the following Sustainable Development Goals:
Note: My intention is to not guilt anybody for staying silent on an issue. However, I do believe in calling out hypocrisy when needed. If you do exhibit this type of behaviour, I strongly suggest you reflect on your actions and what you truly stand for.
George Floyd: a 46-year-old African-American who died because his skin colour was a threat to police officers. The world mourned for such a tragic loss and it sparked a new fire in the Black Lives Matter movement. Progress is being made in response to the systemic racism deeply rooted in the United States, in relation to the issue of police brutality. It’s become a global conversation where many often take it to social media to showcase their stance on this problem and educate others about it. To see such solidarity and initiative, especially amongst the younger generation, has made me feel more hopeful about the future.
'The custodial death of Jayaraj and Bennix', an illustration by artist Siddhesh Gautam. @bakeryprasad/Instagram
And then, two victims of police brutality in my home country of India came to my attention. Jayaraj and Bennix, a father and son, were allegedly murdered by the police through physical and sexual assault. Did it spark an outrage? In my state of Tamil Nadu, yes. Did it spark a national outrage? No, of course not.
You see, this is a South Indian problem and it’s hard to find people outside of the South Indian community who care about such issues. After all, we are just dark-skinned “kaalus” who can’t speak Hindi for the life of us.
India is a land of many cultures, therefore, not everybody speaks the same language or has the same way of life. This leads to a proliferation of discrimination and ignorance towards my community. Not only as a Tamilian but as an Indian, I believe it’s important for all issues across India to be brought to light on national media so that we can talk about the rigged police system as a country. But of course, that’s not important. George Floyd’s murder was more important to certain Indians, but not because it revealed the failure of the policing system in the United States. Not because it revealed the systemic racism in the United States. Not because they had any concern about what was happening in the United States. It was important to them because it served their purpose of performative activism. The same people who were unafraid to speak up about an issue happening in another country turned a blind eye towards a similar issue of police brutality that had happened in their own country. Why? Because it wasn’t a trend people could follow.
Let’s take a look at what had actually happened:
Jayaraj and Bennix were arrested because they had allegedly kept their store open 15 minutes past the curfew time. At first, it was only Jayaraj who was taken to the police station and was arrested. Bennix, Jayaraj’s son, had gone to the police station to talk to the police and see how he could help his father, but instead, he ended up getting arrested as well. Eyewitnesses had stated that there was physical and sexual assault invoked by the police. As a result, the two victims were bleeding so much that they had to change their clothes at least seven times on the way to the judicial magistrate. Seven times. The judicial magistrate, however, did not examine them for injuries even though they were required to do so. They were later on taken to the hospital, but the damage had already been done. Both of them had ended up dying at the hospital. Bennix’s sister, after seeing her father and brother’s bodies, confirmed to the reporters that they were tortured by the police. Later on, the police reported that the father and son had died from underlying health conditions and internal injuries because “they were rolling on the floor.” Yes, you read that right.
Unfortunately, stories like this have always been a reality in India. The policing system is rigged and it’s easy for cops to slip away, especially when there isn’t consistent national and global pressure on the Indian justice system. This is an issue that deserves a conversation. People are dying and the fact that the media does not discuss it hurts me. Nonetheless, I don’t expect people to speak about an issue just because it had happened in my home state. However, many of the same people who were so quick to admonish police brutality when it was a trending hashtag couldn’t show the same amount of support when social media moved on to another trend. If that isn’t an act of hypocrisy, I don’t know what is.
So what can you do in the face of performative activism? How can you help bring justice and awareness to an issue that you care about even though the media doesn’t?
Reach Out to social media handles: DM them and if they’re interested in helping you out, they can post something that would allow people to learn more about the issue you are passionate about.
Sign Petitions. If you can’t find one, create one: petitions help by putting pressure on the necessary authorities to make sure they take action to make sure the problem is being addressed
Discuss this issue with your friends and family: this is extremely underrated and initiating that conversation can allow people to learn more about the issue.
Protest, if you’re in a position to do so: protesting also puts pressure and is often documented by the media.
Email, Email, Email: email authorities about the issue you are concerned about and make sure you put pressure on them
Use Social Media to raise awareness: if not for social media, many issues wouldn’t have been brought to light. Use that to your advantage.
All of these steps boil down to two elements of a potential solution: educating the public and putting pressure on people in power. This targets SDG #4: Quality Education. According to the target 4.7, we need to make sure people are educated in order to promote “a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship, and appreciation of cultural diversity and of cultures' contribution to sustainable development” (United Nations). These steps also target SDG #16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions. To ensure that justice is being served, the public needs to hold the system accountable when justice systems fail to do so.
The next time you hear about an issue that deserves attention, talk about it. Make it a conversation and try to use your platform. Talk about issues regardless of whether or not they’re from your community. Recognise the platform and privilege you have. It’s up to you to make it happen, because remember, change starts with you.
“Everyone thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” - Leo Tolstoy
External Resources
Here’s a petition to help bring justice for Jayaraj and Bennix
Breonna Taylor’s murderers are still out there and performative activists have no problem staying silent about it
Works Cited
“Death Of 2 Tamil Nadu Men Bring Police Brutality Under Scanner.” YouTube, NDTV, 2020, Death Of 2 Tamil Nadu Men Bring Police Brutality Under Scanner.
“Justice for Jayaraj and Bennix Means Ending a Culture of Impunity.” The Wire, thewire.in/rights/jayaraj-bennix-custodial-deaths-impunity.
“Justice For Jayaraj And Fenix: Tamil Nadu Custodial Death - The Truth With Faye D'Souza.” Boom, YouTube, 26 June 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mv6BsYULZ0E.
“SDG 4: Ensure Inclusive and Equitable Quality Education and Promote Lifelong Learning Opportunities for All.” SDG Compass, sdgcompass.org/sdgs/sdg-4/.
Tsuneta, Alex. “Please Stop - A Message About Performative Activism.” Medium, An Injustice!, 4 June 2020, medium.com/an-injustice/please-stop-a-message-about-performative-activism-b523366537e7.
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