Bengal: Thousands Join Left Parties’ Anti-Zionist Protest in Kolkata

Kolkata: In solidarity with Palestine, tens of thousands of Left protesters flooded the streets in Kolkata’s Central Business District on June 26, moving toward the United States Information Centre (USIC) on Chowringhee Road. However, the rally was stopped by the Kolkata Police, after which the protesters squatted on the streets and began a sit-in demonstration against Zionist occupation.

Holding placards, festoons and hand cutouts, the vibrant rally saw determined protesters who sat on the streets for over two hours. 

The rally was addressed Left Front chairman Biman Basu, CPI(M) leaders Mohd Salim, Surjyakanta Mishra, RSP leader Manoj Bhattacharya, Forward Bloc leader Naren Chattopadhya among others. Left parties outside the Left front, such as CPI(ML) Liberation and SUCI (C) also joined the rally.

Addressing the protesters, Basu said that the anti-imperialist tradition of Kolkata was not folklore but a matter, from ‘Go Back McNamara’ slogans in the 1960s to the present times.

He recollected the traumatic assault by Israel in the Gaza strip that continues till today and has so far claimed over 50,000 lives, leaving more than 1 lakh people permanently injured.

“This crime against humanity is being supported by the United States, which is backing this genocide in the Gaza Strip. Women and children are particularly being killed by the occupying forces and this war on Gaza is a blot on humanity,” he added.

Arindam Mukherjee, a peace activist, told NewsClick: "The war against humanity is being fought in the Gaza Strip, how can we, as peace-loving Indians, stay aloof from that?"

He said that the state of Israel reflects the aspirations of imperialism and Zionism and was carrying out mass genocide.

“In the present times, more and more European powers are finding it difficult to support Zionist Israel. There is not a single European country where there has been not a peace march in support of the Palestinian people. Peace loving people from the whole world are coming on the streets to decry the blatant effort to erase Palestinian people from their homelands," said Mukherjee.

The peace activist advocated an “intermingling of demands of the working class, environmental demands and demands against the corporate loots to be incorporated within the ambit of the peace movement of the country.”

Mukherjee highlighted that wars were often the result of a conspiracy by certain groups who seek economic and political gains. “These groups include imperialists, big corporations and some mainstream media outlets who promote war efforts and create war hysteria….Such propaganda can influence the common people and lead to devastating consequences, like the ongoing conflict in Palestine where the people's right to self-govern has been curbed by the war waged by Israel,” he added. He called for peace and understanding among nations.