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Advertisement calling Indian Independence Day 'better' than July 4 sparks row
Commentator Kaylee Campbell and several Indian Americans criticized the promotional wording, saying it was disrespectful to the United States.
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Malvika Choudhary - Tue, 28, Jul 2026
- 17:46 EDT
- 55
Kaylee Campbell / X/ @kaylee_ashlynn
An advertisement promoting an Indian Independence Day celebration in Frisco, Texas, sparked online backlash after describing the event as "way better than America's Independence Day."
The post, shared in a private Facebook group for residents of Prosper and Celina, invited people to "celebrate India's Independence Day in Frisco" and described the event as "way better than America's Independence Day."
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The wording drew criticism from political commentator Kaylee Campbell, who said in a social media video that she had no objection to the event itself but took issue with how it was advertised.
"I want to talk about this flyer... it has not really anything to do with the event itself, but it's the way that it's advertised that just rubs me the wrong way," Campbell said.
An Indian Independence Day event in Frisco on August 15 is being advertised as better than American Independence Day. If that’s the case, why celebrate it in the United States? pic.twitter.com/adsFuIB2n3
— Kaylee Campbell (@kaylee_ashlynn) July 23, 2026
"If you're coming to America and you're going to have your own little festivals and celebrations, and then you want to say it's better than one of the holidays that's meant to celebrate the country that you're living in, then you probably just need to go back to where you came from," she added.
Campbell described the message as "the opposite of assimilation," while stressing that she was not referring to every member of the Indian community.
"It probably wouldn't even be worth my time if you had just left that comment out to begin with," she said, adding that immigrants should not come to the United States and claim that "your holidays, your celebrations, your ethnicity, and your religion" are better than the country that welcomed them.
In a separate post on X, Campbell wrote, "An Indian Independence Day event in Frisco on August 15 is being advertised as better than American Independence Day. If that's the case, why celebrate it in the United States?"
The post sparked widespread debate online, with some users calling the wording disrespectful toward the United States, while others questioned why the comparison with American Independence Day had been included in the promotional material.
Several Indian Americans also criticized the language used in the flyer while distancing it from the broader community.
"I am an Indian and completely agree that it's a wrong way to say that it's way better than USA. I am always grateful that USA has given me the opportunity to live here legally and have utmost respect to every U.S. citizen," one commenter wrote.
Another commenter identifying as Indian wrote, "I fully support Kaylee. Disparaging the culture and values of a country that has welcomed you is unacceptable. It pains me as an Indian because this is exactly what reinforces stereotypes and unfairly reflects on the wider Indian community."
Other comments were more critical, with some users saying immigrants who believe their home country's celebrations are superior should "go back," while others argued that the Fourth of July should be the only Independence Day celebrated in the United States.
In recent months, city council meetings in the region have seen heated discussions over demographic changes, while videos of Indian cultural events have circulated widely on social media, fueling debates over immigration, cultural identity, and assimilation.
It remains unclear who created the promotional flyer or whether organizers of the Aug. 15 event have responded to the backlash. No official statement had been issued at the time of publication.
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