A 40-second ad in support of the farmers' protest in India was aired in the Fresno region of USA’s Central Valley during the Super Bowl on Sunday, 7 February. The video opens with a quote by Martin Luther King Jr: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere." It features news clips with visuals from the protests which have been going on since November last year.
The ad closes with a message from Jerry Dyer, mayor of the city of Fresno, California, who says, “We want you to know, our brothers and sisters in India, that we stand with you.”
The video has been produced by Tejivideo, a local photography and video production company.
The video was shared online by several Twitter users.
India's farmer protests have sparked international interest after tweets drawing attention to the movement by celebrities such as pop star Rihanna, climate activist Greta Thunberg, former adult actor Mia Khalifa and lawyer and niece of US vice president Kamala Harris, Meena Harris, went viral on Thursday, 2 February.
The Super Bowl is the annual championship game of America's National Football League (NFL) and airs on the first Sunday each February. It is famous for its half-time performances by high profile celebrities as well as a platform where some of the best known ads are launched each year. The Super Bowl is among the most watched sporting events in the United States, and in 2015 made history with 114.4 million viewers tuning in, as per the NFL. According to a report by Reuters, about 100 million viewers were expected to tune in to the CBS channel broadcast where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took on the Kansas City Chiefs.
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