A 30-Second Ad at US Super Bowl 2021 Featured The Indian Farmers' Protests

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Last Updated:February 09, 2021, 11:31 IST

The 30 second ad which showed Indian farmers protesting, was allegedly funded by the Sikh community of Fresno, and begins with a quote from Martin Luther King: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’

Days after pop-star Rihanna and climate change activist Greta Thunberg highlighted India’s ongoing farmer agitation to the global stage, a 30-second ad about it made its way to the US Super Bowl.

The 30-second clip which was tweeted by several handles on Monday proved that the clip indeed went on air.

BREAKING: Watch message of support for farmers during this Super Bowl. We are hearing this Super Bowl Ad will air on Channel 47 KSEE 24, in Fresno County, California, 3-3:30pm.#farmersprotest #SuperBowlFarmersProtestAD
Donate to #supportfarmers: https://t.co/QCWMqQfJr3 pic.twitter.com/LKNhtkq1qY
— UNITED SIKHS (@unitedsikhs) February 7, 2021

The commercial, which was allegedly funded by the Sikh community of Fresno, begins with a quote from Martin Luther King: ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’

Images from the farmers’ tractor parade and their border camps are overlaid with text alleging human rights violations against protesters. “No Farmers, No Food, No Future" flashes on the screen.

It includes a message from Fresno mayor Jerry Dyer. “We want you to know, our brothers and sisters in India, that we stand with you," he says. Fresno has a large Sikh population, as high as 40,000, according to some local reports. Pop music icon Rihanna’s viral tweet on the protests also gets a mention.

“Fresno City community put that ad during the Super Bowl. This is great work by community to aware people regarding Farmers Protest. Thank you Fresno Sikh Community," said the Kisan Ekta Morcha tweet.

Fresno City community put that ad during the Super Bowl. This is great work by community to aware people regarding Farmers Protest. Thank you Fresno Sikh Community. #FarmersProtest #ReleaseDetainedFarmers pic.twitter.com/S81A9x49ut— Kisan Ekta Morcha (@Kisanektamorcha) February 8, 2021

The Fresno community crowdfunded the ad, according to a report in The Indian Express. Indian-American banker Raj Sodhi-Layne and her friends put together the 30-second ad which was aired on CBS in Fresno County.

“We had a Zoom call with CBS on Thursday noon and the ad, along with the $10,000 payment, was required by 3 pm Friday."

Raj then set up a page on crowdfunding platform ‘GoFundMe’ and raised $11,123 within a day. The excess funds were donated to non-profit organisation ‘Seva For Everyone’. The ad was produced by local artist and producer Shar Singh of Teji Videos.

“Our initial goal was to raise $852,000 to air the ad in all 43 major cities across the United States. But we were a bit late for that," Raj told The Indian Express over the phone on Monday.

According to India Today, however, the ad didn’t air everywhere and was limited to only some parts of California. While some reports suggest it aired in some other parts of the US as well, there are no confirmations to the claims yet.

Mayor Jerry Dyer of Fresno city, California, joined celebrities, activists, and politicians in standing in solidarity with the Indian farmers, was aired separately as a video four days before the Super Bowl.

The Ministry of External Affairs in a statement on February 3 said celebrities tweeting on the issue were “neither accurate nor responsible".

“It was unfortunate to see vested interest groups trying to enforce their agenda on these protests, and derail them. This was egregiously witnessed on January 26," the ministry said as it called out the “sensationalist social media hashtags and comments".