Farmers' protest: NFL star Juju Smith Schuster donates $10,000 medical assistance

USA's National Football League (NFL) star Juju Smith Schuster on Thursday donated $10,000 to provide medical assistance to the farmers in need in India who have been protesting against three agriculture laws that have been passed by the government they say are in favour of the corporates.

Smith Schuster, the wide receiver for the Pittsburgh Steelers National Football League (NFL), took to Twitter to announce about his donation. He shared a report by usnews.com and mentioned:

Happy to share that I’ve donated $10,000 to provide medical assistance to the farmers in need in India to help save lives during these times. I hope we can prevent any additional life from being lost.

#FarmersProtest

Happy to share that I’ve donated $10,000 to provide medical assistance to the farmers in need in India to help save lives during these times. I hope we can prevent any additional life from being lost. 🙏🏾 #FarmersProtest https://t.co/0WoEw0l3ij

— JuJu Smith-Schuster (@TeamJuJu) February 3, 2021

Smith Schuster is the holder of several NFL records, including being the youngest player ever to reach 2,500 career receiving yards and the first player to have two offensive touchdowns of at least 97 yards. He also holds several Steelers franchise records. Off-the-field, he is also known for his social media presence and affinity for esports. In 2019, Smith-Schuster was ranked as one of the NFL's most marketable players.

Social media across the world woke up to the ongoing farmers’ protests, one of the largest mass mobilisations in India in recent times. All it took was a single tweet by a pop star Rihanna to make a difference. Rihanna tweeted a CNN article highlighting the internet ban in parts of Delhi to suppress farmers’ voices.

why aren’t we talking about this?! #FarmersProtest https://t.co/obmIlXhK9S

— Rihanna (@rihanna) February 2, 2021

It resulted in other celebrities aside, UK MPs Claudia Webbe and Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi, US Foreign Affairs Committee member Jim Costa and even climate activist Greta Thunberg spoke in favour of the protests. Rihanna’s tweet also elicited a passionate response from Meena Harris, who, while highlighting the internet shutdowns and state violence, cautioned against remaining silent against “fascist dictators”.