Kochi: A political slugfest has erupted after viral videos showed a leader of the Hamas militant group, Khaled Mashal, virtually participating in a pro-Palestine rally held in Malappuram district of Kerala on Friday, with the Bharatiya Janata Party seeking action against the organisers and the participants.
Some 1,400 people were killed and scores taken hostage after Hamas attacked Israel on October 7. Gaza’s health ministry has said that more than 6,700 Palestinians have been killed in the enclave in Israel’s retaliatory airstrikes and bombardment.
On Friday, the Solidarity Youth Movement (SYM)— the youth wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (Kerala) — organised a rally in solidarity with the people of Palestine. However, a video showing Mashal addressing the event via videoconferencing has now stirred a row. The video also shows posters carrying the tagline “Uproot bulldozer Hindutva and apartheid Zionism”.
According to a translation of Mashal’s speech released by the SYM, the terrorist group’s leader claimed that the Israeli strikes have “destroyed more than half of Gaza”.
“After losing militarily, Israel is now waging revenge on our people in Gaza. Homes are being destroyed. They have destroyed more than half of Gaza. They are destroying mosques, places of worship, universities and even UN buildings. Their aim is the elimination of Gaza. They are cowards who are taking revenge on children after losing militarily. Over 8,000 people have died, more than half of whom are innocent children,” he was quoted as saying in Arabic in the seven-minute address.
“From 1967 onwards, al-Aqsa mosque has been on the verge of collapse. After extreme right-wing forces under the leadership of Netanyahu came to power in Israel, they have been looking for the best opportunity to destroy al-Aqsa. They had started moves to demolish al-Aqsa and build their temple there. al-Aqsa is our place of pride and our holy place,” he was quoted saying.
{{/usCountry}}“From 1967 onwards, al-Aqsa mosque has been on the verge of collapse. After extreme right-wing forces under the leadership of Netanyahu came to power in Israel, they have been looking for the best opportunity to destroy al-Aqsa. They had started moves to demolish al-Aqsa and build their temple there. al-Aqsa is our place of pride and our holy place,” he was quoted saying.
{{/usCountry}}The event, however, triggered sharp responses from the Kerala BJP unit.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), BJP state chief K Surendran said, “Hamas leader Khaled Mashel’s virtual address at the Solidarity event in Malappuram is alarming. Where’s Pinarayi Vijayan’s Kerala Police ? Under the guise of ‘Save Palestine,’ they’re glorifying Hamas, a terrorist organization, and its leaders as ‘warriors.’ This is unacceptable!”
SYM state chief Suhaib CT argued that there was nothing “unusual or illegal” about the Hamas leader’s attendance at the event.
“Hamas is not a banned organisation in India nor has it been declared as a terrorist outfit. It does not operate in India as well. Their leaders have spoken several times to the people in Kerala at programmes in the past. Hamas is a resistance movement. It is a party that has won several seats in elections there. Therefore, there is nothing unusual about a leader of such a party taking part in a Palestine solidarity event in Kerala. Such a leader speaking here is not a crime under any law,” he said.
“Surendran and the Sangh Parivar are running a conspiracy to label those who stand in solidarity with Palestine as terrorists by spreading false propaganda. By doing so, they are trying to quell the protests against India’s support to Israel. Such attempts will not succeed. More Palestine solidarity programmes will take place in India proving our people’s support to Palestine,” he added.
The district police chief of Malappuram was unavailable for a comment.