A new global toolkit by the left-liberals seems to be in the making, this time by using the Israel-Hamas war as an excuse to further the radical Islamist agenda of terrorist sympathisers. A group named “The Solidarity Movement” is set to organise so-called demonstrations across at least 9 cities in India on 14th November. While the protests are said to be pro-Palestine, it is evident that the march is pro-Hamas as well, given that we found rhetoric refusing to acknowledge Hamas as a terror group by the founder.
According to several posts shared by the group on Instagram, the demonstrations were scheduled for Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Chennai, New Delhi, Hyderabad, Pune, Calicut, Kolkata, Bangalore, and Kochi. The timings given for the protests range from 8 AM to 10 PM. While the post sharing details of the demonstration in Mumbai was deleted last night, an update was posted on their Instagram account informing about the change of venue of the demonstration.
However, as of this morning, the demonstrations stood cancelled in Pune as per the update on their Instagram account.
While the larger narrative and agenda appear to be the same from the details available on the group’s Instagram account, some details of the demonstration vary in different cities.
The agenda of the solidarity march
The Solidarity Movement has shared one post each for every city where the demonstrations are being organised. The details about how the demonstrations will be held are largely the same for every city and have been explained over 9 pages on their Instagram posts.
Page 1 is titled “Rise India” and includes the timing, date, and location of the demonstration. Page 2 has point-by-point guidelines for the participants, calling them to gather nationwide in large numbers at public places at the same time, same day, and in multiple cities. The idea is to launch or give the picture that they are launching a life-changing event that for some reason should directly concern Indians.
Demonstrators have been told to carry watermelons for the event. The fruit with a red interior, green outer layer, and black seeds represent the colours of the Palestinian flag. The demonstrations have also been told to launch a social media storm for the event throughout the day by tagging ‘The Solidarity Movement’, which has called itself “a citizen collective to host all of our actions”.
The guidelines also instruct participants to “have at least four lawyers to calmly deal with disruptors or police”. The guidelines instruct demonstrators to wear black as an expression to call for a ceasefire. Lastly, a specific guideline is set that all demonstrations across the 10 cities will be “united by a common ritual”, the detail of which is given on page 3 of the Instagram post.
“The Ritual is to use our breath to honour the lives of those innocent civilians who were martyred by chanting their names in a communal prayer. We refuse to diminish them to just a number and vow to uplift their memory as a blessing.”
Notice the words “communal prayer”, and the next page, that is, page 4 of the post, shows a video as an example demonstrating the ritual. The video is of pro-Palestinians in New York protesting outside The New York Times office by reading the names of the Palestinians killed in the Israel-Hamas war published on the mock newspaper copies of “The New York War Crimes”.
Page 5 of The Solidarity Movement’s Instagram post has some notes where it calls the demonstrations a “citizen-led solidarity collective”. It then decries how “not all cities have the liberty to exercise their basic right to gather to mourn/protest or be in the community due to the current political climate amplified with the upcoming elections, despite our democratic laws stating that we can”.
The language of this text is not something that we haven’t seen before and it is safe to say that one can look forward to the Modi-bashing as it mentions “current political climate”, a phrase used to spread propaganda that intolerance has somehow risen in India under PM Modi.
The note also has a provocative tone when it reads, “Therefore, in some cities, standing up for humanity and against genocide is an act of civil disobedience. Those who choose to show up are aware of the risks involved and the courage it takes.”
It would essentially appear that the organisers of these protest are using the Israel-Hamas war to perhaps further the Muslim persecution false narrative in India and thereby instigate the Muslims in India as well.
This coming from a group of people ready with lawyers. However, they also admit at the end of the note that they have come up with a “clever plan to minimise the disruption and consequences authorities can exert over us”. That plan is on page 6 of the post.
“The Plan” instructs demonstrators to “be in clusters of 6-10 people sitting slightly spaced out but in the common area. Everyone is a copy of the list of martyrs on their phones. One person in each group is the Reader who will say the name of the martyr and their age. A list of names of those who have died in Gaza has been shared, which includes 6,747 names. However, the problem is that the list has been taken from the Gaza Health Ministry which is essentially run by Hamas.
“Everyone else to repeat as a form of prayer. Engage in this ritual for one hour at least knowing that you stand united with thousands of Indians in different cities doing exactly the same ritual in that point of time,” the plan concludes by calling for peaceful dispersion.
On page 7, “The Plan” has also been explained in the form of an image of the clusters they have asked participants to form.
Now comes the problematic part of this nationwide demonstration. On page 8, The Solidarity Movement says, “November 14 is celebrated as Children’s Day in India.” This explains that the group has chosen Children’s Day in India and linked it with the death of children in Gaza to justify the demonstrations. If you still wonder why that is still a problem, there’s more.
Meanwhile, the post ends with the same “Rise India” logo, which has a (false) Palestine map-shaped piece of watermelon for an I as in Rise, and a “Yallah!”
One of the details that raises suspicion is that the location of the protest in Ahmedabad has not been disclosed. For the demonstration planned in Ahmedabad, the post reads, “Exact location disclosed only upon RSVP. DM us!”
The post about the Kochi demonstration reveals an even more sinister plan. “The Solidarity Movement” has called for children to join the protests along with their parents. “Calling out to all the children, the parents, and all citizens to demand together, CEASEFIRE NOW,” the post reads.
It goes on to mention the deceased children to emotionally appeal to users on the social media platform to join in the protests. The post shows a Palestinian boy with injuries and hands on his back. “Are you wondering who this 10 years old Palestinian boy, Handala, is?”
A long emotional description of this Palestinian boy’s life has been used to give out a call for Indian children to join the demonstrations. The group is essentially calling for Indian children to make themselves a part of, and take sides in an ongoing global conflict!
The group has openly, in its post on the Kochi demonstration, admitted that it aims to direct the thinking of young Indian children, at least those who might partake in the protests, as per its worldview. “Here is an invitation to come raise a citizenry of children who are aware of what’s happening around them and help them refine their understanding of the world through enabling them on how to think critically, centering empathy for all human beings”.
Another post shared by the page mentions that they have been receiving requests from Jaipur, Goa, Pondicherry, Lucknow, Chandigarh and Kolkata to organise the demonstrations. It then goes on to mention how the same can be organised by locals.
As if marketing itself like a protest-organising firm, the page shares four steps to organise the demonstrations. “We provide outreach support/legal advice/leadership support/connections to the nationwide organiser network/funding support/whatever you need!” the post reads.
What or Who is The Solidarity Movement?
A light digging revealed that the Hamas sympathising group on Instagram was formed in October itself, like many other pro-Palestinian groups that suddenly began to crop up on the social media website peddling the Hamas agenda. However, it has no presence, at least not in the same name, on Facebook and Twitter.
A little more research led to its founders namely, Pooja Pradeep and Aysha Zabha, the details about whom have been given in the RSVP link shared by the former on her Instagram bio. On the RSVP, the name “India-Palestine Solidarity Space” appears.
However, even though the RSVP provides the link to the Instagram handle of Aysha Zabha, it does not seem to exist anymore. Another point that raises suspicion.
According to the details on the RSVP, Pooja Prashant is the founder of the so-called movement and is an “educator” and “civil organiser who works in the international conflict transformation space with significant experience working with Israeli and Palestinian communities”.
What the bio does not tell you is Pooja Prashant has very anti-Israel views. In one of many such posts on Instagram, she has used the following hashtags, that is, “#istandwithisrael #ireallydont #thethingsihavetodo #UGH.” In another such post, she shares images from what looks like a small Jewish settlement in Fort Kochi, as per information on her post. The first few images show Hebrew language and Jewish symbols and the last image in this post shows Jesus Christ with the quote, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Pooja Prashant has captioned this post as, “Shalom, y’all. Go to the last slide and say it with me. NOPE,” expressing her disagreement with the quote with regards to Israel.
While on one hand, Pooja is a vocal supporter of Pinarayi Vijayan-led CPI(M) government in Kerala, on the other hand, she justifies terrorist group Hamas by saying that “Hamas is not a terrorist organisation according to Indian law and policy.”
The intention behind “The Solidarity Movement” demonstrations scheduled for 14th November is clear upon seeing this story post shared by Pooja wherein she writes, “Hindutva is Zionism of our country”.
A post on the page calls for donations and has mentioned a Dr Farhan Kabeer for the same. His Instagram bio shows he is a prosthodontist and dental surgeon and also an artist.
Moreover, a man named ashfaque_ej on Instagram, who has promoted the upcoming demonstrations, has shared posts on his Instagram story demanding “Azadi”. Yes, it seems a new breed of Umar Khalids and Kanhaiya Kumars are in the making behind this so-called “solidarity” for Palestine.
An Instagram user named Saloni Chopra has also promoted the event. She is an “Indian-Australian actor”.
In one of her posts, she mentions how she has decided to not celebrate Diwali because of the Israel-Hamas war. “No Diwali this year for me. Didn’t have the heart to celebrate it. I could barely get through the posts on my feed because the big gorgeous lehangas and party celebrations were all mixed up with updates of displaced G*zan Journalists and civilians crying….,” she goes on.
These are the people behind the demonstrations slated for 14th November.
The questionable timing of the protests
Calls for a “global intifada” have been made for some weeks now by pro-Hamas lobbyists around the world. Naturally, Greta Thunberg has been one of the vocal lobbyists with her sharing the stage with a Hamas-backing bigot named Sara Rachdan.
Several protests in “solidarity with Palestine” have also been organised in Kerala. At one such event, a former Hamas chief made a virtual address giving the call to “Bulldoze Hindutva, unroot Zionism”. A recent rally organised in Kochi was by The Solidarity Movement.
What’s more interesting is just how closely these demonstrations are being organised around the world in terms of dates. An Instagram page named free.palestine.nl (Netherlands) – which, by the way, was also formed in October – has posted details of a demonstration to be organised at Schipol Airport in Amsterdam on 14th November at 6 PM local time.
The Palestinian Students Union at Columbia University is set to organise a demonstration “in solidarity” on 14th November. The page sharing this information, named cu_dar, too, has been formed this very month. They have asked participants to wear the Kaffiyeh, which symbolises support for Palestine.
The funding for The Solidarity Movement
The donate post on The Solidarity Movement account says that the fundraiser will be closed if their goal is met and the donors will be redirected to Palestine Red Crescent and/or other credible aid organisations’ fundraisers doing “God’s work on the ground in Gaza”.
A cursory look at the Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) reveals that under the guise of running and providing humanitarian assistance to Palestinians in Gaza, the PRCS uses victimisation as grounds for demonising Israel which is waging an all-out war on Hamas.
⭕ The child Reem was injured during the aggression on #Gaza, and she was receiving treatment inside Al-Quds Hospital, which is out of service facility and no longer operational due to the depletion of fuel supplies and the non-arrival of humanitarian aid.#alqudshospital… pic.twitter.com/oi98YcmELu
— PRCS (@PalestineRCS) November 12, 2023
What to expect?
The way the demonstrations are being organised by The Solidarity Movement is not something that is happening for the first time. However, this is perhaps the first that a left-liberal-Islamist toolkit has come to notice before it was implemented.
There have been several such toolkits used during the last few years to fuel protests and demonstrations.
In late October, a toolkit released by the National Students for Justice in Palestine (NSJP), in the garb of supporting Palestine, used highly objectionable language to support Hamas.
The toolkit pointed out that the terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel took place on the 50th anniversary of the 1973 war, also known as the Yom Kippur War or Ramadan War or the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. The Hamas terror attack has been called “Toofan Al-Aqsa (Al-Aqsa Flood)” in the toolkit.
NSJP referred to the Hamas terrorists as “Palestinian resistance” and the Israeli people as “Zionist settler society”.
In June this year, a combined group of Hindu-hating and anti-India propagandists went to great lengths, along with the ISI, to disrupt PM Modi’s US visit. The strategy included organising demonstrations, talking about “religious intolerance” in India, prompting Twitter trends and so on.
In April last year, a global campaign was launched against Hindus. British-American Journalist Mehdi Hassan, TV presenter and Chef Padma Lakshmi and German Footballer Mesut Ozil have made unimaginable assertions against India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while being openly complicit in being propagandists over the so-called narrative of ‘Muslim Persecution in India’.
In February 2021, a so-called climate activist in India Disha Ravi was arrested by the Delhi police for her role in creating and distributing the toolkit in relation to the farmer protests in Delhi. This came after Great Thunberg accidentally released a toolkit that her supporters could use to propagate misinformation about the farmers’ protests.
