Students Protest Against Israel’s Aggression in Gaza

Nearly four years after Israel’s military aggression on Gaza that killed 1400 Palestinians and left the infrastructure of Gaza in ruins, Israel is once again attacking Gaza with the full might of its military. The latest aggression, euphemistically termed as Operation Pillar of Defense by the Israelis, has seen the Israeli Defense Forces bombard Gaza causing scores of fatalities that includes women and children.

In response to this ongoing Israeli aggression in Gaza, students from Jawahar lal Nehru University, Delhi University, and Jamia Millia Islamia, along with few other organizations, gathered at Janpath (close to the Israeli embassy) on a Monday afternoon on Nov. 19, to demonstrate against Israel’s war on Gaza. Though the demonstration was supposed to be in front of the Israeli embassy, demonstrators were stopped by the police quite a distance away from the embassy.

What must have been a horde of about 200, protesters chanted slogans against Israel’s war of aggression against Gaza. The message in their slogans, banners and placards was clear — Stop the attacks on Gaza and free Palestine.

In an interview with Jamia Journal, Ruman, a protester and a graduate student in the department of sociology said: Israel should realize that the whole world can see what they’re doing, and they should understand that the world will not sit-by idly anymore.

Another participating protester, Farhan, a postgraduate student in the Center for Dalit and Minorities Studies said: Israel has been killing innocent Palestinians for years and I am here today to speak against it.

Demonstrators also lamented the Indian government’s inaction on the matter. One speaker even charged the Indian government of purposefully ignoring the plight of innocent Palestinians and turning a blind eye to Israel’s war crimes in Gaza because of India’s strong military ties with the State of Israel.

Although the demonstration was loud and boisterous, protesters were non-violent and disciplined. Having expressed their anguish over the situation in Gaza, they concluded their protest and went away peacefully.

Scenes from the Event:

1. Video

Watch a two-minute video of the demonstration on Youtube here:

2. Picture Gallery