Twitter Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jack Dorsey was entangled in a controversy for holding a placard which reads “Smash Brahminical Patriarchy”. The placard was reportedly presented to Dorsey by a Dalit activist during a roundtable discussion with some women journalists, activists and writers.
An image of the meet was shared by journalist Anna MM Vetticad.
“During Twitter CEO @jack’s visit here, he & Twitter’s Legal head @vijaya took part in a round table with some of us women journalists, activists, writers & @TwitterIndia’s @amritat to discuss the Twitter experience in India. A very insightful, no-words-minced conversation”
During Twitter CEO @jack’s visit here, he & Twitter’s Legal head @vijaya took part in a round table with some of us women journalists, activists, writers & @TwitterIndia’s @amritat to discuss the Twitter experience in India. A very insightful, no-words-minced conversation pic.twitter.com/LqtJQEABgV
— Anna MM Vetticad (@annavetticad) November 18, 2018
Twitter India retweeted it, saying “Recently we hosted a closed door discussion with a group of women journalists and change makers from India to better understand their experience using Twitter. One of the participants, a Dalit activist, shared her personal experiences and gifted a poster to Jack.”
Recently we hosted a closed door discussion with a group of women journalists and change makers from India to better understand their experience using Twitter. One of the participants, a Dalit activist, shared her personal experiences and gifted a poster to Jack. https://t.co/96gd3XmFgK
— Twitter India (@TwitterIndia) November 19, 2018
The image soon drew criticism and backlash on Twitter, with many accusing the CEO of spreading hate.
Former Infosys director TV Mohandas Pai tweeted, “What a shame; How can people put such a hate poster and malign a community: @jack How can you as ceo of @twitter be party to this kind of hate? Shocking; this is @brahminphobia of the worst kind”.
What a shame; How can people put such a hate poster and malign a community: @jack How can you as ceo of @twitter be party to this kind of hate? Shocking; this is @brahminphobia of the worst kind https://t.co/bWU0eBo9yG
— Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) November 19, 2018
.@jack This is the elemental problem with the team representing @twitter in India, & this is what your users here have been saying – it is unbelievable how blind your biases have made you to the ear-shattering hate sponsored by @TwitterIndia. You have institutionalized hatred.
— Mohandas Pai (@TVMohandasPai) November 19, 2018
This is a pure hate poster targeting an ethnic group. Does it not violate Twitter policies? Would @jack hold up a poster like this targeting Jews or Muslim mullahs or Church patriarchy?
— Sankrant Sanu सानु (@sankrant) November 19, 2018
This is a country that voted an OBC to the highest office of the land with a historic mandate. Am sure @jack celebrated when Obama was elected. To pose with hate speech when you say Twitter should be a space for healthy conversation shows how hollow those words are.
— Advaita Kala / अद्वैता काला (@AdvaitaKala) November 19, 2018
Twitter India later issued an apology.
It is not a statement from Twitter or our CEO, but a tangible reflection of our company’s efforts to see, hear, and understand all sides of important public conversations that happen on our service around the world.
— Twitter India (@TwitterIndia) November 19, 2018
“It is not a statement from Twitter or our CEO, but a tangible reflection of our company’s efforts to see, hear, and understand all sides of important public conversations that happen on our service around the world,” wrote the micro-blogging site.
Source: Zee News