India expressed surprise and disappointment when Canada blocked the social media accounts and certain pages of Australia Today on Thursday, just after the outlet aired a joint meeting between Indian Foreign Minister Dr S Jaishankar and his Australian counterpart The press conference came hours after Penny Wong. Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal criticized Canada’s actions, saying they showed hypocrisy when it came to freedom of expression.
“We understand that this particular outlet’s social media accounts and pages are important diaspora media, but have been blocked from viewing by Canadian viewers,” Jaiswal said. “This happened after this particular account held an EAM with Penny Wong An hour or a few hours after Dr. S Jaishankar’s press conference.”
He added: “We were surprised. It seemed strange to us. But nonetheless, I would say that these actions once again highlight Canada’s hypocrisy about freedom of expression. Jaishankar at a press conference in Australia Responding to certain accusations made by Canada against India, it was noted that these accusations were made without providing concrete evidence.
“You’ll see the foreign minister talk about three things at the media event. One of them is that Canada is making accusations and it’s setting a pattern without any concrete evidence,” Jaiswal explained.
Jaishankar also highlighted reports of surveillance of Indian diplomats in Canada, which he called “unacceptable,” as well as alleged political support given to anti-India groups in Canada. “So you can conclude from this why Australia Today is blocked in Canada,” Jaiswal concluded.
