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Rupi Kaur Refuses Biden’s Diwali Invitation Due To The Administration’s Support Of Israel’s Actions In Gaza
Culture Nov 07, 2023
Poet and author Rupi Kaur used Instagram to publicly refuse the Biden administration’s Diwali invitation on the grounds that President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris along with their entire administration have been openly supportive of Israel’s devastating attacks on the people of Gaza.
With global protests calling for a ceasefire and lifting of humanitarian blockades growing in size and scale every weekend since the Israeli government’s crackdown on Gazans in early October, there has been hesitation to wade into this discourse from global notables for the most part for fear of public retribution thus jeopardizing their livelihoods.
But not Rupi Kaur.
In a public statement released on Instagram, Kaur has decided to decline the Biden Administration’s official Diwali celebration (scheduled for November 8th), in protest of President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris inaction to stop what is being seen as one of the worst cases of genocide in recent history. She details her frustration at the United States’ refusal to support the UN resolution for a ceasefire in addition to their ongoing financial support of Israel’s actions through billions of dollars along with various weapons of mass destruction. With this backdrop the Biden Administration continues to prepare for their Diwali celebrations, a gesture which Kaur sees as tokenizing and patronizing.
Read her full statement below.
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Rupi Kaur who has also participated in protests concludes her lengthy statement by encouraging others to stand up for what is right and support the people of Gaza who have been living in what Amnesty International describes as an “the world’s largest open air prison” for generations.
Main Image Photo Credit: www.instagram.com
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Hina P. Ansari
Author
Hina P. Ansari is a graduate from The University of Western Ontario (London, Ontario). Since then she has carved a successful career in Canada's national fashion-publishing world as the Entertainment/Photo Editor at FLARE Magazine, Canada's national fashion magazine. She was the first South Asian in...