Placer Hindu community members advocate for HSS

Four teens and one adult of the Hindu community advocated for the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh (HSS) against Pieter Friedrich's comments during Roseville's City Council meeting on Jan. 19. Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh USA (HSS) is a nonprofit organization that encourages the Hindu American community to practice, preserve and advance the religion's ideals and values. According to the Pew Research Center, only 2 percent of California's population have practiced Hinduism in the last 10 years. Friedrich is an author and public speaker, who has specialized in the analysis of South Asian historical and current affairs for 15 years with an emphasis on Hindu nationalism. Friedrich is a Placer County resident. Last Dec. 15, Friedrich informed the council during public comment about the connection between the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh after seeing the City Council present the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh with a city proclamation in Nov. 2021. According to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) official website, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh is defined as a "social organization dedicated to India's resurgence and global peace". During his comments, Friedrich said Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has caused harm in India for the last 75 years and the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh has been able to "flourish" in other regions of the world. Friedrich described the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh as "the international wing to the most xenophobic and genocidal organization in India" in reference to the organization's supposed ties to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh. Friedrich said that the council had "innocent ignorance" for presenting Roseville's local Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh chapter with a formal proclamation in November 2021. Friedrich said, "It is ultimately self-destructive to platform the HSS here in America." During the Jan. 19 City Council meeting, four local high school students and a Roseville Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Chapter representative expressed their concerns about Friedrich's comments. Shweta Sashittal, representing Roseville's Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh Chapter, described Friedrich's allegations as "hateful and extremely inflammatory." "The words used in relation to Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh like 'fascism' and 'paramilitary' are baseless, venomous allegations," Sashittal said. Sashittal re-emphasized that the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh is a U.S.- based volunteer-based nonprofit organization with social, educational and cultural emphases. The four students who spoke to the council shared their personal experiences being a part of Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh through service and personal development. "The HSS has changed my life and has allowed me to give back to my community," said high school sophomore Vibha Doddipalle. "Hatred is unjust and hurts our (Hindu) community. The HSS provides inspiration and logistics for community service." Venkata Manish Maramreddy, a Woodcreek High School sophomore, touched on the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh's dedication to community service. Maramreddy said that he has volunteered with the Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh on numerous occasions, including donating more than 2,000 face masks to local hospitals and first responders. "The HSS gives service to all and is irrespective of faith, gender and race," Maramreddy said. Said high school junior Abhinav Sharma, "I am hopeful that the community and city (of Roseville) will work together to address all the other sources of hatred and fear that are being created in this city." When he heard Friedrich's comments, Sharma said, it "increased" his concerns. High school freshman Ishana Datusalia said that Friedrich's comment was a way "to paint the Hindu community with a brush of hatred and prejudice." "I see this as an intentional attempt to malign the community and create Hindu phobia," Datusalia said. Venu Mallesara, a Roseville Hindu Swayamsevak Sangh chapter volunteer, said that many community members appreciate the organization. "Roseville and 250-plus communities across the U.S. have witnessed our contribution in making this a better place to live," Mallesara said. "The overwhelming support we get from the community and civic bodies across the country, despite the continuous effort of our adversaries, speaks for itself." Friedrich told Gold Country Media that he saw the students and volunteers' comments during the Jan. 19 City Council meeting and that their comments did not address the nature of his Dec. 15 remarks. The students' comments left Friedrich with questions. "Fundamentally, my question to the City Council, as well as my question to anybody speaking as an associate of the HSS has three parts: What is the HSS? What is the RSS? Are they or they not connected to each other?" Friedrich said. Friedrich also noted that he speaks to other City Councils, including in Michigan and Texas. Friedrich said his goal is "to educate and draw attention to what is happening in India and how it's impacting us, even here in America on the other side of the world." According to Roseville city attorney Michelle Sheidenberger on Jan. 19, the city received dozens of emails over the last month from community members expressing concern on why the council did not silence Friedreich during his comments. Sheidenberger pointed out how public comments in City Council meetings are protected under the First Amendment. "The public comment period of a City Council meeting is governed by state law under the Brown Act and the First Amendment of the United States Constitution," Sheidenberger said. "The City Council is legally required to provide this forum for the public." Sheidenberger reiterated to the students and the public how the U.S. Supreme Court does not define hate speech as illegal, unless it is intended to incite violence. "Council's silence does not mean that they condone the speech or endorse the speech," Sheindenberger added. "It just means that they're providing their legally-required forum by allowing people to speak. The council speaks by adopting resolutions and proclamations." Following the comments, Mayor Krista Bernasconi addressed the public. "The council stands behind the resolution that we provided to the Hindu community in November," Bernasconi said. "Our silence does not mean we condoned anything that he (Friedrich) said at all. We apologize for any hurt that he may have caused."