Broken Fast: Ending Hunger-Strike Against Twitter’s Sewa International Donation

Fueled by a broken fast, I will continue fighting the fascism of the RSS

I conducted a hunger-strike from the morning of 26 May to afternoon of 31 May 2021. Here’s what I said when I broke my fast.

Hi, this is Pieter Friedrich. It has now been about 124 hours — over five days — since I’ve eaten anything as I’ve been on hunger-strike to protest a $2.5 million donation made by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey to Sewa International USA, a nonprofit linked to the RSS, which is a violent Hindu nationalist paramilitary in India.

I have done what I can to shine a light on this issue. Now it is time for me to break my fast.

The call of “Take It Back, Jack” is now taking on a life of its own. Light is spreading from hand to hand as many others are stepping forward to push back against the darkness that has enveloped India in these grim times. Many have now pledged to keep the chain going, join the fast, and echo the call: “Take It Back, Jack.”

Many, many thousands more are now aware of the true nature of Sewa International and why Jack’s donation to it is so deeply disturbing.

Jack, speaking to you directly, let me first say thank you. I love Twitter. For me, it’s an amazing tool and I’m so glad you created it. But with great power comes great responsibility.

I hope that you are now on notice that people do care about what you do with your power. Your actions — and who you finance — will not be allowed to pass unnoticed. We will be watching.

And, Jack, never forget that Twitter only exists because of us.

Now, as more and more take up the fast in the hope that Jack opens his eyes and takes it back, I will be breaking my hunger-strike with a mug of homemade lamb bone broth.

Fueled by a broken fast, I will continue fighting the fascism of the RSS.

Never give up. Stay the course. Be relentless. Don’t back down. Continue the struggle.

And break the back of the RSS.

On 31 May, a few hours after breaking my fast, I conducted an interview with Muslim Network TV to discuss my hunger-strike and the issue behind it.