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Journalism of Courage
An Indian-origin CEO in America received a hateful and racist voicemail asking him to ‘Go back to India’ after he criticised US President Donald Trump’s remarks on Charlottesville attack. Ravin Gandhi, founder and CEO of GMM Nonstick Coatings, a global supplier of coatings for cookware and bakeware, penned a scathing op-ed on CNBC, criticising POTUS. Soon, his column was slammed by many Trump supporters and he received several hate mails and threats, of which there was one that stood out. He decided to raise a voice against being targeted and made the racist tirade public.
The Chicago-based executive posted the audio clip on YouTube in protest, challenging the ignorance of the Trump supporter asking him to go back to where he belongs as he was born in the US. He also tried to highlight that no socioeconomic position protects one from racial attacks. “It was obvious that people thought my professional position somewhat protected me,” he told Chicago Tribune in an interview. “I wanted to show people that racism is blind to socioeconomics. It just is,” explaining why he decided to go public with the hate message.
In the audio, posted by Gandhi, a woman can be heard abusing the CEO repeatedly. “You’re a f****** Indian pig. Get your f****** garbage and go back to India, and sell it there.”
The caller continues for a minute and a half, and also slams Indian-American US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley and bragged about her distaste for Martin Luther King Jr.
Calling Hailey a “Bangladeshi creep”, the woman goes on to say, “She’s the one that started all this when she took down the Confederate flag. So don’t tell us that you gave him a chance. We don’t give a f*** who you gave a chance, OK? We’re going to start taking down Buddhist statues and see how you and Nikki Haley like that.” In the shocking audio, the woman can also be heard saying, “Martin Luth King…because he is offensive to me, so how do you like that. Do not tell us what goes in this country.”
Listen to the full audio here (audio discretion is advised):
In his CNBC op-ed, Gandhi had written, “I recently told the New York Times I was ‘rooting’ for certain aspects of Trump’s economic agenda.” But after Trump’s press conference on the attack, his view changed. “After Charlottesville and its aftermath, I will not defend Trump even if the Dow hits 50,000, unemployment goes to 1 percent, and GDP grows by 7 percent. Some issues transcend economics”.
