'Disrupted' by the Farmers' Protest? Sarcastic Netizens Take on 'Cancel Culture' with #BoycottFood Trend

It's been two days since the agitating farmers from states of Haryana, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh have been marching to Delhi to protest the new farm reform laws passed by the BJP-led Central government.

Delhi traffic police have shut Tikri border for vehicular traffic as thousands of farmers resumed their 'Delhi Chalo' march after spending the night in Panipat. On Thursday, the protesters braved tear gas shells and water cannons to break through police barricades at several places on the Punjab-Haryana border while heading to the national capital. Visuals showed protesters pelting bricks and stones in Tikri, while Delhi-Gurugram border witnessed massive traffic jam as police check vehicles. Rapid Action Force in riot gear have also been deployed in large numbers in Singhu.

Marching through Haryana where there were joined by local farmers, the farmers decided to stop for the night at Panipat close to the national capital. Meanwhile, Delhi announced that metro services from neighbouring cities to Delhi will remain suspended.

As many naysayers complained about the protesting farmers and how they disrupted traffic and affected their schedules, they almost mirrored the usual cancel-culture trope which the Internet absolutely loves - a new form of #Boycott because it hurts particular sentiments.

But social media, as we know, is gold. To take on this cancel culture brigade, came a bunch of sarcastic Indians. Their question to the people who felt 'disturbed' by the farmers' protest was: Will you boycott food?

And like everything else, #BoycottFood soon became a trending hashtag on Indian Twitter.

*Me and my bois after seeing so many boycotts everyday and now it comes to food : pic.twitter.com/7C2kHTETbd

— ☆ •शु ☆ (@tereMaalKaYaar) November 27, 2020

This is not the first time a mockery of cancel-culture has outdone the concept itself: In January, 'Boycott Windows' had trended after Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella's comments on Central government's controversial CAA.

At present, the Delhi police have completely shut Tikri border for traffic movement. "Traffic intending to go towards Haryana is also closed. All motorists are advised to avoid this route in view of the protest by Kishan Sangharsh committee," traffic police tweeted.

Unfazed by the heavy security deployment and barricading on the highway with mounds of earth and huge rocks, protesting farmer Gurdev Singh told the media at the Shambhu border that "we will break all the barricades if we were not allowed to move ahead."

Farmers said they were ready to face bullets also. Despite the use of water cannons and tear gas, the protesting farmers, comprising men and women -- both young and old -- and school and college students riding tractor-trailers, cars and motorcycles, managed to enter Haryana from Shambhu.