The conflict between Israel and Hamas, which escalated on 7 October 2023 when Hamas terrorists mercilessly attacked Israel, has taken a heavy toll. Reportedly, up to 8,000 lives have been lost on both sides. In a show of “solidarity”, a massive demonstration was held in Coimbatore, India, in support of Palestine, organised by Islamic organizations, Jamaats, and political parties. Thousands of participants gathered in front of Ukkadam Valliammai Bakery to voice their support for the Palestinians.
It is interesting to note that a significant number of Muslim women actively took part in the demonstration, raising their voices and slogans to underscore their demands. Some of the slogans raised during the demonstration include, “Let the Zionist group fall”, “Inquilab Inquilab, Palestinian Inquilab”, “Lal Salaam, Assalaam, Intifada Inquilab”. These slogans are reminiscent of the slogans raised in JNU like the below:
During the demonstration, participants “stressed” the need for the Indian government to abstain from supporting Israel and instead rally behind the Palestinian population. They said that except for the BJP and RSS, all political parties were united in their support for the people of Palestine.
Protestors alleged that the police permitted the BJP state president, Annamalai, to march during peak hours but refused permission for Muslims to march in support of the Palestinian people. They called on the Tamil Nadu government to address this “disparity”.
Several organisations and political parties, including Coimbatore Sunnat Jamaat Policy Federation, Jamaatul Ulama Sabha, IUML, DMUK, STPI, Manidhaneya Makkal Katchi, Manidhaneya Jananayaka Katchi, Tawheed Jamaat, and Welfare Party of India, took part in the demonstration.
The demonstration was presided over by Federation Coordinator A. Sadiq Ali. Coordinator Inayatullah. Other notable people like STPI State Secretary Raja Hussain, Tamil Nadu Muslim Munnetra Kazhagam State Speaker Rex Rafi, and many others participated and spoke at the event.
One of the speakers said, “If there is a terrorist state in this world, the first country is Israel and the second is the one we are living in. I won’t call it India because India has always stood on the side of peace. There have been many Prime Ministers in India, starting from Nehru up to Manmohan Singh, there have been several PMs. None of them went on an official trip to Israel. But Modi went on an official visit to Israel. During his visit, Israel PM Netanyahu said, “We had to wait 70 years for an Indian PM to visit Israel”. Modi fulfilled the 70-year longing of Israel.”
DMK is allowing full blown communal polarisation in TN ahead of elections!
This man says “There are only 2 terrorist states in this whole world. One is Israel and we are living in the other one, but I won’t call it India”
This is is blatant communal anti national polarisation… pic.twitter.com/aiU6qHCQwa
— இந்தா வாயின்கோ – Take That (@indhavaainko) October 24, 2023
The participants condemned the Indian government for supporting the Israeli government and urged the handover of occupied Palestinian territories to the appropriate people.
It is noteworthy that terror attacks in Tamil Nadu have predominantly taken place in Coimbatore – the 1998 serial blasts and the blast near Kottai Easwaran Temple in 2022.
Denial Of Permission To RSS March In TN
While on the one hand, the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) government permits such divisive demonstrations, they refused to permit RSS marches on 22 and 29 October 2023, from being held despite a clearance given by the courts. The court approved route marches in 11 districts, but in three districts, the request was denied. In these districts, the police department cited a lack of personnel available for security due to concurrent events.
It is a customary practice for the RSS volunteers to participate in a parade, donning their uniforms during the Vijayadashami festival, which aligns with the organisation’s founding in 1925. President of RSS Tamil Nadu (South), A Adalarsan expressed concern that the police have increasingly been denying permission for these marches.
This was the same scenario in 2022 as well when the RSS took the matter to court.
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