Urge the Indian Government to ensure safety of protestors & press freedom
This petition gathered 116,491 signatures between 17 December 2020 and 17 June 2021, according to the Parliament petitions site. The Government responded on 15 February 2021. MPs debated it in Westminster Hall on 8 March 2021.
The petition
The petition's creator is not named in the Petitions site's published record. Quoted in full from the UK Parliament petitions site.
Urge the Indian Government to ensure safety of protestors & press freedom
The Government must make a public statement on the #kissanprotests & press freedoms.
India is the worlds largest democracy & democratic engagement and freedom of the press are fundamental rights and a positive step towards creating a India that works for all.
A public statement by the Government will encourage transparency & accountability in the worlds Largest Democracy.
The Government's response
The Government published its response on 15 February 2021; the petitions site lists the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office as responsible. Its summary:
Media freedom and the right to protest are essential to robust democracies such as the UK and India. Governments have the power to enforce law and order if a protest crosses the line into illegality.
The opening 376 words of the 409-word response:
The UK Government is conscious of the level of concern regarding the farmers’ protests in India. We appreciate that there are strong feelings in the United Kingdom towards the issue and that many British citizens have family ties to farming communities in India.
Through our High Commission in New Delhi and Deputy High Commissions across India, the Government is following developments closely. We understand that the Government of India has held several rounds of talks with farmers’ unions, and that in January the Supreme Court put three farming laws on hold and designated an expert committee to scrutinise the laws.
As would be expected between close partners, we have constructive discussions on a wide range of issues with India. The UK considers farming reform a matter for the Government of India. We consider the right to peaceful protest, freedom of speech, and internet freedom vital in any democracy. We also recognise that governments have the power to enforce law and order if a protest crosses the line into illegality. We look to the Indian government to uphold all freedoms and rights guaranteed in India’s strong constitution.
The Foreign Secretary discussed the farmers’ protests with his Indian counterpart during his visit to India in December 2020. Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon, Minister of State responsible for South Asia and for Human Rights, speaks regularly to his opposite number in the Ministry of External Affairs and to the Indian High Commissioner in the UK. Human rights issues form part of their dialogue.
An independent media is essential to any robust democracy. The UK is committed to media freedom, and to championing democracy and human rights around the world. In 2018, the UK Government launched the Media Freedom Campaign to shine a global spotlight on media freedom and increase the cost to those abusing media freedom and persecuting journalists.
We regularly engage with India’s vibrant media, which promotes lively debate across the political spectrum. The British High Commission has undertaken project work such as the annual South Asia Journalism Fellowship Programme, under our flagship Chevening scholarship programme, which funded 17 fellows, including seven from India in 2019. In 2020, we supported the Thomson Reuters Foundation to run workshops for journalists to report on a range of human rights matters.
Read the full response on the petitions site.
Where the signatures came from
Signatures came from 650 constituencies on the boundaries used until the 2024 general election. The largest number, 3,838, came from Ealing, Southall.
114,367 of the signatures were from the UK and 2,124 from elsewhere, by the location signers gave.
| Constituency | Signatures |
|---|---|
| Ealing, Southall | 3,838 |
| Hayes and Harlington | 3,597 |
| Slough | 3,538 |
| Feltham and Heston | 3,495 |
| Ilford South | 2,304 |
| Warley | 2,175 |
| Wolverhampton South East | 2,168 |
| West Bromwich East | 2,164 |
| Gravesham | 1,983 |
| Wolverhampton South West | 1,942 |
| Region | Signatures |
|---|---|
| London | 32,288 |
| West Midlands | 30,614 |
| South East | 17,154 |
| East Midlands | 10,685 |
| East of England | 6,042 |
| Yorkshire and The Humber | 4,705 |
| North West | 2,860 |
| South West | 2,312 |
| Scotland | 2,310 |
| North East | 1,244 |
| Wales | 1,078 |
| Northern Ireland | 153 |
Debate in Parliament
MPs debated the petition in Westminster Hall on 8 March 2021. Read the debate in Hansard. House of Commons Library debate pack.
Source and receipt
- https://petition.parliament.uk/archived/petitions/563473.jsonUK Parliament Petitions API · read 2026-10-15 · SHA-256
0055901510ab3246… - The petition on petition.parliament.uk
The petition's words are its creator's and the response is the Government's; this site quotes both and gives no view on either. Signature counts can still change while a petition is open. To report an error, send a correction request.