Here in New York, protesters gathered outside Madison Square Garden to rally against a visit from Mohan Bhagwat, the chief of the RSS, a far-right paramilitary organization closely linked to India’s ruling BJP party. India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi is a member of the group, and Bhagwat’s rally in New York marks the beginning of a global speaking tour for the 100th anniversary of the RSS. Democracy Now! spoke to Sonny Singh, a Sikh activist at the rally.

Sonny Singh: “The RSS has state power in India right now, which is not only a threat to people in my community as the Indian government targets us for assassinations in parts of the diaspora in the U.S. and Canada, but also to our Muslim brothers and sisters, our Christian brothers and sisters, other religious minorities and Dalit and Bahujan people. So I stand in solidarity with all those communities. I’m also here to stand up for my own community.”