Thread by @PARInetwork

The repeal of the farm laws is a fantastic victory for one of the greatest protests in decades. We are unsure of what lies ahead, but today we must celebrate the resilience of the many farmers who showed us what standing up for your rights can do.
[thread]
#farmlawswithdrawn

First off: What were they protesting?
The farmers were fighting for a cause much larger than the repeal of three unjust laws. They were fighting for the rights of us all.
ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/an…

The farmers didn't fight to maintain status quo. After all, they are the first victims of a broken system. “We never said it was perfect. We need reforms.” But the question is, reforms for whom – farmers or the corporate world?
ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/we…

"We farmers have had experience of these corporates before – and we don’t trust them. They have betrayed us earlier, and we are not fools."
This betrayal fueled protestors' spirits when they stayed in makeshift camps throughout bone-chilling winter nights
ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/th…

The protest sites weren't occupied solely by farmers. Despite a loss of income since the protests began, many small traders, shopkeepers, workers and vendors at and around Singhu on the Haryana-Delhi border stood in resolute solidarity with the farmers
ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/if…

People like Gurudeep Singh and Rajasthan's Bilawal Singh ran langars at the Shahjahanpur protest site. Their rationale was simple: "This government is used to dealing with hungry protestors so we are ensuring everyone here is well-fed"
ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/fa…

Then there was Sarbjeet Kaur. She drove a tractor for 400 km from her village to the farmers’ protest site. Women are the reason this movement is sustaining. People in power think of us as weak, but we are the strength of this movement,”Sarbjeet said.
ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/i-…

Protestors contributed in every way possible. Unmindful of the dust, dirt and occasional rain, Jaswinder Singh Saini and Prakash Kaur, a couple from Delhi, performed sewa at Singhu – cleaning the dirty, muddied shoes of the farmers
ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/th…

The outrage against the laws wasn't limited to northern states. Arunabai and Shashikala – both widows from Adivasi communities, and farmers and farm labourers in Aurangabad district protested against the new farm laws and demanded their land titles
ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/wi…

Children weren't bystanders. 16-year-old Savita Gunja, a Bhil Adivasi farm labourer and singer-composer from Nashik district, kept everyone’s spirits and resolve high on the journey to Delhi by Maharashtra farmers with her wonderful songs
ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/i-…

The elderly were the most fervent. 70-year-old Taravanti Kaur was one of the many Dalit farm labourers from Punjab who believed that the centre's new laws will push them further into poverty
ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/pu…

And lastly, there were people who literally bled to stand up for farmers' rights. Sardar Santokh stood steadfast despite being injured in a tear gas attack. "Their bullets won't scare us. This injury is nothing compared to what we endure on the fields”
ruralindiaonline.org/en/articles/pe…