'Humanity cannot afford more wars', 'Freedom for Palestine', 'Stop attacks on civilians' and more such slogans were being raised at the Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) on Friday, October 13, when the security personnel had to forcibly stop protests and sloganeering on the campus, stated a report by The New Indian Express.
The videos of the security staff tearing down the posters and taking away Palestine flags pasted on students' shirts and campus walls were all over social media.
Students were seen wearing badges which said, 'With Hamas' and 'Free Palestine'.
Not only this, but the left student organisations of the central universities in the national capital came forward on Friday, October 13, to give a protest call in solidarity with Palestine. All this happened two days after four students of Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) were arrested for participating in a solidarity march for Palestine amid the ongoing conflict with Israel.
The left students' organisations including the Students' Federation of India (SFI) and All India Students Association (AISA) have released their posters on social media calling the Palestine supporters at Jantar Mantar on October 14.
Student leaders speak
Abhigyan, State President of the All India Students Association (AISA), said, "Going by the recent incident in AMU where the students were arrested for participating in a solidarity march for Palestine, it is clarified that the Modi government is trying to be a puppet of the United States. This is very harmful for foreign policies. We believe that Israel has been responsible for provocations and we are supporting the anti-colonial struggle. Also, the silence of the Western media is haunting."
Meanwhile, Aishe Ghosh, SFI President, condemning the arrests in AMU, said, "Yesterday, SFI and today several other student organisations, protested in Delhi in demand for restoration of peace and standing in solidarity with the people of Palestine."
She added, "We see that what the people of Palestine are facing today is nothing but a brutal attack on their basic right to live on their land. As Democratic citizens, we as students have a right to speak up against any injustice happening around us. Police and administration had warned us from yesterday and intimidation followed. We condemn the arrests done in this respect only to curb dissent in our country."
Jamia's Dayar E Shauq Students Charter wrote on their poster, "Enough of colonization, apartheid and occupation. We stand in solidarity with the Palestinian people and the Palestinian freedom fighters in their struggle against the settler colonial state of Israel."
