Hyderabad: Youth and student groups, activists, and members of organisations such as Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine, Disha Students’ Organisation, and Naujawan Bharat Sabha held a protest in Amberpet against Israel’s continued bombing of Gaza.
The protest that marked the beginning of an international day of action against Israel also heralded the opening of a country-wide Boycott-Divestment-Sanction (BDS) campaign against Israel and its economy that has made profits off its Palestinian occupation.
Aside from Hyderabad, multiple protests were held at Starbucks outlets across the country, calling for a boycott of the coffee chain for its complicity. Demonstrations were held in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Pune, Chandigarh, Vishakhapatnam, Vijayawada, Patna, and other regions.
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The demonstrators circulated leaflets describing arguments for India supporting Palestine, citing that the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians is not a religious conflict between Muslims and Jews but an issue of colonial occupation.
The leaflet explained how Israel, founded in 1948 with British support, expelled thousands of Palestinians by forced removals and ethnic cleansing. It called Israel’s current actions in Gaza as part of a “genocidal war” and contextualised Palestine’s resistance as a battle for national liberation, invoking a comparison with India’s own colonial experience of oppression.
BDS campaign and solidarity gestures
Throughout the protest, protesters chanted “Long Live Palestine” as a sign of solidarity with Palestine and carried posters with the banners “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” and “Gaza will never die.”
A poster put the spotlight on companies that had been targeted in the BDS movement, including Nestle, Chevron, McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Papa John’s, Reebok, Puma, Siemens, HP, and Dell. Organisers made announcements for such campaigns to be launched across India in the days to come to further strengthen the boycott movement.
The protest highlighted a demand for Indian solidarity with Palestine, calling on citizens to resist Israel’s actions and support the Palestinian struggle for justice and self-determination.
