Disha Annappa Ravi (born 1998/99, Bangalore) is an Indian youth climate change activist and a founder of Fridays For Future India. Her arrest on 13 February 2021 for an alleged involvement with an online toolkit related to Greta Thunberg and the 2020–2021 Indian farmers' protests gained international attention. The Indian government alleged that the toolkit, a standard social justice communications and organizing document, providing a list of ways to support the farmers' protests, fomented unrest and a form of sedition. The arrest was widely criticized both within India, and internationally.
Background
Disha is a youth climate activist from Bangalore, India, and one of the founders of Fridays For Future in India (FFF India). According to The Quint, she is part of the MAPA wing of the FFF movement, and "MAPA stands for Most Affected People and Areas – meaning, countries and peoples of the Global South (developing world), who bear the brunt of carbon emissions and climate change." In an interview with Auto Report Africa, Disha stated, "My motivation to join climate activism came from seeing my grandparents, who are farmers, struggle with the effects of the climate crisis", and "At the time, I wasn't aware that what they were experiencing was the climate crisis because climate education is non-existent where I'm from."
Disha focuses on bringing voices to communities in need and is an author of multiple editorials and articles for international youth climate activists. She was also featured in a September 2020 British Vogue magazine profile of four activists of colour working against environmental racism. On February 15, 2021, The New Indian Express referred to her as "Bengaluru's Greta".
In September 2020, Disha explained, "I'm striking because we're living through the climate crisis. Heavy rains and lax measures taken by governments have led to millions of people being displaced because of floods, particularly in India. My house was flooded last week." Disha told The Guardian, "We are not just fighting for our future, we are fighting for our present. We, the people from the most affected are going to change the conversation in climate negotiations and lead a just recovery plan that benefits people and not the pockets of our government."
In 2020, Disha stated, "FFF International does not have a single goal. Earlier our goal was to declare a climate emergency. The countries that declared climate emergency did not act on it and that is when we decided we wanted climate justice where the government prioritizes climate action and ecological sustainability above all else. We do not have set demands and we want to make different demands work for different countries." In a 2020 interview with US author Gayle Kimball for a book about Gen Z climate activists, Disha stated, "In India, protests are a part of life since the Indian freedom struggle was rooted in peaceful protests. There are a lot of protests on humanitarian issues and religious issues and protests are very ingrained in Indian society. Social media has helped in recent days."
The FFF was being monitored prior to Disha's arrest. Disha was involved with an FFF India email advocacy campaign in opposition to a March 2020 draft environmental impact assessment (EIA) by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. In response, the websites of FFF India and two other groups were blocked in July 2020, but the block was later withdrawn. Disha told Auto Report Africa, "We live in a country where dissent is suppressed ... We in Fridays For Future India were labelled terrorists for objecting to the draft EIA notification. Only a government that puts profit over people would consider asking for clean air, clean water and a liveable planet, an act of terrorism."
She graduated from Mount Carmel College, Bangalore. She is a vegan and was working as a culinary experience manager at a vegan food company before her arrest.
Arrest
On 4 February 2021, Greta Thunberg tweeted in support of Indian farmers and in another tweet linked an updated toolkit, saying it was "by people on the ground in India." Following media reports of Indian authorities filing a first information report (FIR) against her (since corrected that the FIR is against the original creators of the toolkit), Thunberg tweeted, I still #StandWithFarmers and support their peaceful protest. No amount of hate, threats or violations of human rights will ever change that. #FarmersProtest".