On Sunday (29th October), hundreds of Muslims gathered in the Mumbra and Thane region of Maharashtra’s Mumbai district to extend support to Palestine amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. The protesters raised pro-Palestine slogans and also called to boycott the products being manufactured in Israel.
According to the initial information obtained by OpIndia, the protest was called by a forum named ‘The United Milli Forum’. The members of the forum are said to have organized the protest rally against Israel under the guise of offering prayers for the Palestinians. As per the report by India Today, the organizers had asked for permission to conduct the rally but the same was denied by the Thane Police Commissionerate.
VIDEO | People in huge numbers gathered in Mumbra in Maharashtra's Thane district on Sunday to demonstrate in support of Palestine, amid its ongoing conflict with Israel. pic.twitter.com/bwj4lJ32GV
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 30, 2023
The protesters are said to have offered prayers for families of those who have lost their lives in the counter-attack launched by Israel in Gaza. The protestors also raised slogans against Israel and called for a boycott of products emerging from Israel.
The videos of the protests are going viral over the internet in which the pro-Palestine supporters could be seen gathered on the ground in the Mumbra region of Maharashtra. They could also be seen raising placards against Israel and offering prayers for Palestinians.
Pro-Palestine protest rocks Mumbra in Maharashtra. @pencilpatrakar joins us with more details#ITVideo #IsraelHamasWar | @PoojaShali pic.twitter.com/BVnKp7oJK6
— IndiaToday (@IndiaToday) October 30, 2023
This is not the first protest which has been organized in the state of Maharashtra in support of Palestine. Earlier, similar protests were organized in the Aurangabad district and also the Thane district of Maharashtra. So, notably, this is the second protest that has been organized by Muslims in Thane in support of Palestine.
Second protest in Mumbra, Thane; 200 were booked earlier in an illegal protest organized by SDPI
The first protest was organized by the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI) in the Mumbra area where hundreds had gathered extending support in solidarity with Palestine. However, the protests were illegally organized so the police had booked around 200 persons in the case. Police said that the protesters defied prohibitory orders in the city while staging support to Palestine.
Mumbai Islamic Gymkhana!
— Legal Rights Observatory- LRO (@LegalLro) October 26, 2023
MLA @samajwadiparty @abuasimazmi leading a mob to support #Hamas which executed carnage of innocents in South Israel!
Hope @MumbaiPolice @CPMumbaiPolice have noticed this!
Bharat is at receiving end of #JihadiTerrorism since 1400 yrs; lakhs of Hindus… pic.twitter.com/N3Z7x8MZCf
As per the official, an offense under section 188 (disobedience to an order lawfully promulgated by a public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and Maharashtra Police Act had been registered against 200 persons. Later the Police happened to identify 16 persons but no arrests were made.
The protesters carried banners and raised slogans against Israel in the city. As per the official, they shouted slogans in support of Palestine and defied the prohibitory orders in force in the Commissionerate.
Minor children shown as dead bodies in pro-Palestine protests in Aurangabad
Similar protests were organized by the Students Islamic Organisation which is the student wing of Jamat-e-Islami Hind on 28th October in Aurangabad city of Maharashtra. The protests were organized at the Aam Khas ground where the Islamists raised the Palestine flags and also raised slogans against Israel.
A huge crowd gathered in #Aurangabad on the call of SIO @sioindia to show Solidarity with the people of palestine and stand against the apartheid State of Israel and it's allies. #28thOct @siomsz #Maharashtra#IsraelTerorrist #HamasMassacre #IsraelAttack #PalestineGenocide pic.twitter.com/up34Dyp5Ar
— Raafid Shahab (@RaafidShahab) October 28, 2023
The General Secretary of SIO, Salman Mobin Khan; National Secretary of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, KK Suhail, and Aetesam Hami, the Zonal President of SIO South Maharashtra addressed the gathering. The gatherers meanwhile called the Israelis ‘murderers’ and prayed for the safety of the people in Gaza.
The videos of these protests also went viral over the internet in which the children were used to display ‘dead bodies’. As per the videos, the children were made to act like dead bodies and were presented as kids of Gaza by the organizers. Some kids could be seen wrapped in white clothes while others were painted in red colour to depict blood stains.
Maharashtra: Anti-Israel protest held in Aurangabad where children were made to act like dead bodies and presented as kids of Gaza, shameful video goes viral. pic.twitter.com/aoxpsB5MEy
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) October 28, 2023
Why did Indian Mujilims support Palestine and not support Chinese Mujilims who have been in detention camps for many years?
— RajeIyer (@RajeswariAiyer) October 29, 2023
Maharashtra: Anti-Israel protest held in Aurangabad where children were made to act like dead bodies and presented as kids of Gaza, shameful video…. pic.twitter.com/b9RzjUeUEe
NCPCR condemns the act of using children for protests
Team OpIndia talked to NCPCR’s chairperson Priyank Kanoongo on the issue. The NCPCR said that children being misused by the organizers in such a horrific manner is not at all okay and that immediate action will be taken against the organizers.
“This is highly condemnable. Making children act in such a horrific manner for their agenda is dangerous. NCPCR has taken cognizance of the matter and will soon issue a notice in this case,” NCPCR’s chairperson Priyank Kanoongo told OpIndia.
Maharashtra Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis stopped one such illegal protest from happening in Mumbai
So far, three pro-Palestine protests have been organized in the state of Maharashtra and it is said that many more such protests are scheduled to happen here in the state. OpIndia talked exclusively to BJP’s Pratik Karpe from Maharashtra to learn that a similar pro-Palestine protest was scheduled to be organized by Islamists in the Marine Drive area of Maharahtra’s Mumbai. However, the protest was not given permission as directed by Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis.
“Who are these people who are issuing support to Palestine when our Prime Minister himself has stated that India stands with humanity and with Israel? These protests seem to be politically motivated and somebody is deliberately sponsoring these protests. Maybe for votes. We have seen people from other political parties supporting terrorists earlier. One NCP leader had supported terrorist Ishrat Jahan. Also, they openly supported Palestine even after Hamas launched a deadly attack on Israel.”
“Dy CM Devendra Fadnavis took cognizance of such protests and restricted one such event that was scheduled to happen in Mumbai. His office proactively looked into the matter and didn’t allow the protest to happen. The one that happened in Thane and Mumbra seems to be sponsored and politically motivated,” Karpe said.
It is important to note that NCP leader Jitendra Awhad on 19th October had called out BJP and PM Modi for extending support to Israel. In a tweet, he said that Israel had become a human rights violator and that it didn’t deserve to be supported. He also justified the Hamas attack on Israel by saying that “the number of casualties of Israel’s army is far less than what Palestine has suffered.”
Lack of factual knowledge is the biggest syndrome of BJP supporters in India. There's a total absence of the desire to learn as well. Their campaign _l support Israel_ is the major manifestation of this imbecility without knowing the history of Israel.
— Dr.Jitendra Awhad (@Awhadspeaks) October 18, 2023
India has always been in…
The opposition parties in India also recently targeted the BJP-led government for not taking a clear stand on the Israel-Hamas war at the United Nations. This is after India abstained from voting for the Jordanian-drafted resolution that failed to condemn the terrorist attacks by Hamas. It, however, voted in favor of a Canada-led amendment to the draft resolution on the Gaza crisis which has sought to insert a paragraph condemning the ‘terrorist attacks by Hamas.
While it is understandable for opposition parties to criticize the government and its officials, politicizing critical geopolitical matters for political gain is a sheer travesty. The fact is that India has been clear on its stance on the Israel-Hamas conflict. India has condemned the terror attack launched by the Palestine-backed Hamas against Israel and emphasized its commitment to diplomacy and dialogue over violence. India has made it sufficiently clear that it will never side with terrorism.
It is important to note that the Hamas terrorists launched a brutal attack on the Jewish state on 7th October killing around 1400 Israelis and injuring several others. The terrorists raped the Israeli women and also didn’t spare the elders and the children. The videos of these horrific incidents were also made viral. The attack on Israel by the Hamas terrorists marks the most brutal attack against Jews after the Holocaust.
After the attack by Hamas, Israel launched a counter-attack on Gaza. Over 5,000 Palestinians have been killed so far, including women and children as well as journalists, medical workers, and first responders, with more than 15,000 injured. IDF has been asking Gazans to move away from Northern Gaza but Egypt has closed the Rafah crossing and has declared that it won’t allow any refugees from Gaza.
