At least seven people have been arrested in north India’s Uttar Pradesh state for participating in a pro-Palestine demonstration and calling for the end of Israel’s ongoing war on Gaza, local media reported on Monday.
The protesters carried signs stating, "Free Gaza, Free Palestine," while others demanded a full boycott of Israeli goods, reports stated, citing local police.
One poster read: "The Islamic ummah (community) has imposed on every Muslim to boycott all goods associated with Israel".
Another read: "Everything in Gaza has been completely destroyed. If we do not cry for the suffering of our brothers and sisters in Palestine, then know that we have lost our humanity. So please do not buy these products".
Other posters held by demonstrators likened purchasing Israeli goods to eating pork or drinking alcohol, acts that are strictly prohibited in Islam.
The individuals arrested were caught using the help of footage from CCTV cameras.
Some reports state that in one protest, police confiscated Palestinian flags and tore them.
The arrests are the latest example of a crackdown on pro-Palestine activism and solidarity in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has shown significant support to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Many have highlighted that under Modi, Hindu far-right groups have been able to freely carry out demonstrations in support of Israel, as the war on Gaza continues to rage on and over 61,700 Palestinians have been killed since October 2023.
India has continued to supply weapons to Israel despite the war on Gaza being labelled a genocide by key rights groups, including Amnesty International, and despite an arrest warrant being issued against Netanyahu by the International Criminal Court.
The arrests come as Israel continues its relentless war on Gaza, rendering most of the enclave’s hospitals out of service, levelling entire neighbourhoods and plunging the Strip into a deep humanitarian crisis.
Israel has also been blocking all vital aid, including food, fuel, shelter, equipment and medical tools from entering the Strip since 2 March, causing cases of disease and malnutrition to skyrocket.
The UN has decried Israel’s resumption of war on the Strip after they violated the ceasefire deal, saying it has resulted in "intolerable" suffering of Palestinians.
"Food is rotting and medicines are expiring," UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Tom Fletcher said last week, adding, "our repeated requests to collect aid sitting at Kerem Shalom crossing have been systematically rejected."