11

Oct

Jantar Mantar Rally Calls For Gaza Ceasefire, End To Genocide

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Our Correspondent

New Delhi | Friday | 11 October 2024

In observance of Palestine Solidarity Day, civil society groups, organizations, and left parties held a massive gathering at Jantar Mantar today to demand an end to the ongoing violence in Gaza. The demonstrators called for an immediate and permanent ceasefire, resistance against Israeli occupation, and urged India to terminate all arms and trade deals with Israel. This event marked one year since the outbreak of the Gaza War.

Prominent speakers at the gathering included leaders such as CPM’s Prakash Karat, CPI’s D. Raja, CPI(ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya, Syeda Hameed, APCR’s Nadeem Khan, Prof. Shamsul Islam, Sajjad Husain Kargali, Gauhar Iqbal, and N. Sai Balaji, alongside leaders of various student organizations like the national secretary of the SIO. The gathering was organized by over three dozen mass organizations, including the Indo-Palestine Solidarity Network, India Palestine Solidarity Forum, AITUC, and AISF, among others.

Participants carried placards with slogans such as “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” “Stop genocide in Gaza,” “Immediate ceasefire in Gaza,” and “Declare Israel an apartheid state.” They also criticized the Modi government with messages like “Modi government: Stop funding genocide in Palestine,” and “Stop sending arms to Israel.” Other signs highlighted global criticism, stating, “Do you know what else has died in Gaza? The myth of Western humanity and democracy,” and “One year of genocide in Palestine.”

Under the banner “Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine,” the gathering called for urgent action against Israel’s actions in Gaza and other occupied territories, urging the Government of India to sever all ties with Israel and demanding international accountability for the alleged war crimes committed. The attendees united in chanting for Palestinian solidarity: “Stop the genocide in Palestine! Resist Israeli occupation! Modi government must stop supplying arms to Israel! Free Palestine!”

Article at a Glance

The article discusses a gathering held in India to express solidarity with Palestine on Palestine Solidarity Day. Various civil society groups, organizations, and left parties participated, demanding an end to the violence in Gaza and urging India to terminate all arms and trade deals with Israel.
Prominent speakers emphasized the global outcry against Israel's genocide in Gaza and criticized the Modi government for supporting Israeli actions. They called for increased solidarity with Palestine, urging the Government of India to sever all ties with Israel and demanding international accountability for war crimes.
 Demonstrators carried placards with slogans condemning the violence and criticizing the Modi government and the Adani Group for their alleged involvement.

The event highlighted widespread support for Palestinian rights and condemned Western involvement in the ongoing conflict in the Middle East. Participants also expressed concerns about Israel’s actions in Lebanon, accusing the Modi regime and the Adani Group of complicity in the ongoing violence against Palestinians.

Speaking at the gathering, CPI(M) interim coordinator Prakash Karat emphasized the global outcry against the violence in Gaza. He remarked, “On October 7, millions worldwide took to the streets to protest Israel’s genocide and express solidarity with the Palestinian people. Many joined demonstrations in major European capitals like London and Paris.” Karat highlighted the tragic toll of the conflict, stating that since October 7 of last year, over 42,000 lives have been lost in Gaza, including 16,890 children. He described these actions as genocide, aimed at the systematic destruction of a people.

Karat pointed out that the International Court of Justice had warned last year that Israel’s actions were approaching the threshold of genocide and called for an end to its aggression. He also noted that Israel had been bombing Lebanon for the past three weeks, including recent airstrikes in Beirut. “What was done in Gaza is now being replicated in Lebanon, with no accountability for Israel, which continues to receive backing from the United States,” he said.

He strongly criticized the Modi government for its alignment with Israel, saying, “While the United Nations General Assembly condemned Israel, the Modi government has supported Israeli actions. There is a joint venture between an Israeli company and the Adani Group near Hyderabad, manufacturing weapons and drones that are then exported to Israel for use in Gaza. This is a betrayal of India’s long-standing support for the Palestinian cause.”

Karat also raised concerns over India’s shift in its stance towards Palestine, highlighting that India abstained from a UN resolution demanding the withdrawal of Israeli forces from occupied territories. He remarked, “The Modi government is openly dismissing the Palestinian people's right to an independent state. Over the past year, India has sent arms to Israel, unlike countries like Spain, Belgium, and the United Kingdom, which have halted their arms exports.”

The CPI(M) leader concluded his speech by calling for increased solidarity with Palestine and for exposing the Modi government’s policies towards Israel. “We must mobilize public support to pressure the government to stop arms exports to Israel and work for a ceasefire through international forums,” he urged.

CPI General Secretary D. Raja also spoke at the event, stressing the gravity of the situation in West Asia and its global implications. He criticized Israel’s aggressive actions in the region, including its confrontations with Iran and neighboring countries. Raja questioned the duration of the conflict and the continued suffering of the Palestinian people, calling on India to take a clear and principled stance in support of Palestinian rights in both national and international platforms. He invoked Mahatma Gandhi’s words, stating, “France belongs to the French, England belongs to the English, and similarly, Palestine belongs to the Arabs and Palestinians.”

Dipankar Bhattacharya, General Secretary of CPI(ML) Liberation, expressed his solidarity with the Palestinian people, condemning what he described as a U.S.-backed Israeli genocidal war in Gaza. He emphasized that the struggle for Palestinian liberation is also a fight for justice and against occupation, urging unwavering support for the people of Palestine. Bhattacharya criticized the Modi government’s alliance with Israel, stating that it contradicts India’s anti-colonial legacy and its history of supporting struggles for justice.

He called on attendees to join future Palestine Solidarity marches and demand an end to Israel’s assault on Gaza and Lebanon. “The U.S.-backed Israeli offensive is pushing the world towards a larger conflict,” he warned, urging the Indian government to cease its support for Israel.

Throughout the gathering, the speakers emphasized that advocating for peace, justice, and freedom for Palestinians is also a call for democracy and independence within India. They urged the audience to raise their voices against the Modi government’s actions and to challenge the interests that perpetuate the violence in Gaza. “Let peace and justice prevail in Palestine by defeating the U.S.-Israel campaign of genocide and colonial occupation,” Bhattacharya concluded.

Meanwhile, pro-Palestinian protests also took place around the world, with thousands of demonstrators in cities such as New York, Sydney, and Istanbul. The protesters demanded a ceasefire, an end to Israeli aggression in the Middle East, and called for a resolution to the escalating violence in Lebanon.

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