On occasion of the opening of the "Industriemess" in Hannover by Narendra Modi, the Indian Prime Minister, and German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Sunday (April 12), the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) is planning a human rights campaign to draw attention to the increasing persecution against Christians and Muslims by Hindu nationalists in India. The STP will ask Chancellor Merkel to demand more freedom of belief in Asia's largest democracy. Since Modi's Hindu-nationalists came into power in May 2014, attacks and harassment against other faiths in India have increased significantly. India is this year's guest country at the industrial fair.

"India's Prime Minister has kept silent about the attacks by Hindu nationalists for months", criticized the STP. It was not until US-President Barack Obama had insisted – following massive protests by Christians and Muslims in India – that Modi had publicly emphasized the right to religious freedom in February 2015. However, the climate of violence and intimidation remains, as the authorities in India tend to take only half-hearted measures against the Hindu nationalists.

ATTENTION EDITORS

On Sunday (April 12), we will meet for a demonstration in front of the Hannover Congress Centrum (Theodor-Heuss-Platz 1), in the capital of Lower Saxony, at 4 pm . We will emphasize our demands with banners and individually designed signs.

Header Photo: Flickr/Meena Kadri