Dear Friends,
2004 marks the 20th year since the devastating attacks on the
Golden Temple and the carnage of 4000+ innocent Sikhs in Delhi;
smaller pogroms were scattered all through India. Using persons
foreign to a region, Sikh citizens and other minorities were
targeted for rapes, kidnappings, and burnings.
Many see 1984 as a tragedy for the Sikhs. The events of 1984,
however, marked a critical turning point in the history of South
Asia- ushering in two decades of state-sponsored violence against
the citizenry. The importance of 1984 lies not in the establishment
of a hostile environment in Punjab or a division between the state
and its Sikh citizens, but in the establishment of a new methodology
of control.
Once the efficacy of the attacks was proven, and the ease of
deflecting blame was noted, a precedent was set which allowed for
similar attacks against other ethnic groups all over South Asia. 20
years later, an additional precedent was set: given enough time, any
community can be made to forget- thus proving the strategy of
delaying court cases and repeatedly acquitting organizers effective.
Today, an international body of ethnically and religiously
diverse students and youth activists have come together under the
Project84 banner to organize an initiative for the fall of 2004.
While our sphere of concern extends beyond the affected regions of
1984, we believe each offense requires individual focus.
In remembrance of the events of November 1984, Project84 will:
- Work with students and communities to host survivor
dialogues at universities, South Asian Students Societies, etc.
during September and October of 2004
- Host silent demonstrations in San Jose, Ca; New York City,
NY; and Toronto, Canada on October 30, 2004
Ultimately, our aim is to assert that we have not forgotten these
atrocities. We must make it clear that we will not stand for any
kind of oppression against any citizen of South Asia.
Regards,
Project84 Team
project84@remember84.org
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