An Indian-origin man named Krishan Patel faced vicious trolling after he posted a photo of his girlfriend voting 'yes' in a Virginia redistricting election. The outcome of the referendum was in favor of the Democrats, but a court has now ruled the referendum invalid.
Photo Triggers Racist Comments
The photo triggered a section of social media users who asked how a Patel could vote in the election. One user wrote, 'You are an Indian foreigner who should not even be here and certainly not voting.'
Patel replied that he was born in the US and that it was not even his parents but his grandparents who were immigrants. He stated, 'I am a birthright citizen of the United States of America who was born and raised in Orange County, California. My grandparents came to our great nation as immigrants, worked hard for years, and became naturalized U.S. citizens. My skin may not be white, but I am an American.'
Patel Engages with Trolls
The war of words continued as Patel engaged with his trolls. He wrote, 'I was born in Orange County, California. I’m as American as Ronald Reagan. My loyalty lies fully with the United States.' To another hater, he replied, 'Want to see my passport? My Real ID? Those were rhetorical questions – I bet you’re one of those morons who thinks President Obama was somehow born in Kenya and not Hawaii.' When a social media user guessed that he was Muslim, Patel said, 'I’m an atheist from a Hindu family who was born in Orange County, California.'
One comment read, 'Birthright citizenship will go away. You will be deported back to India. You are the enemy of free white people in America. Your girlfriend is a traitor to our people.' Another comment stated, 'You may say it is racism, but it’s just Americans being real. What makes it OK for you (or your family) to migrate here, not assimilate, and then arrogantly strip representation from Americans whose families have been here 100s of years? How would you feel if a bunch of say Africans did that in India?'
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