Mumbai: On a rainy afternoon on August 20, more than 500 people gathered at Mumbai’s Azad Maidan to protest what participants described as Israel’s “genocide in Gaza”.The demonstration, which drew intellectuals, artists, students and activists, was convened by a coalition of political parties and civil society groups.The protest was organised by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI(M)), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI(ML)), Samajwadi Party, Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) (NCP (SP)), along with the Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine (IPSP) and the All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO).Legal wrangling over permissionThe demonstration followed weeks of legal hurdles. On July 25, the Bombay high court dismissed a CPI(M) petition challenging the Mumbai police’s refusal to permit a Palestine solidarity rally. The court remarked that the party should “look at its own country instead of focusing on issues thousands of miles away”.The protest eventually went ahead after police granted permission to the CPI(M) and the AIPSO, with the court accepting the police’s submission.The rally brought together supporters of the organising parties, as well as student groups like the Students’ Federation of India (SFI) and the Students’ Islamic Organisation (SIO). Citizens carried placards calling for an end to the Gaza offensive, boycotts of corporations linked to Israel, and accountability for what they alleged was media “whitewashing”.Scenes from the protest against Israel’s actions. Photo: Tamoghna ChakrabortySlogans such as “Free Palestine,” “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,” and “Israel is a terror state” echoed across the ground. One placard demanded “Death to Zionism,” while another condemned the “co-operation of Zionism and fascism.”“It is important to come out in huge numbers and show our government that we do not want it to support a genocidal state,” said one participant.‘India was among the first countries to recognise it in 1988’Speakers included filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, director Saeed Akhtar Mirza, journalist P. Sainath, actors Swara Bhasker and Dolly Thakore, and artist Bina Sarkar Ellias.Patwardhan performed his rendition of Bob Dylan’s I Dreamed I Saw St. Augustine, dedicating it to Palestinian journalist Anas el-Sherif, killed in an Israeli strike, as well as slain Indian rationalists like Narendra Dabholkar and Gauri Lankesh. Bhasker spoke of her visit to Gaza, describing it as being turned into an “open-air prison.“The HC told us to protest about local issues instead of coming out for Palestine. But this is both a global and local issue. India has had close ties with Palestine since 1948, and was among the first countries to recognise it in 1988,” said Sainath.Speakers demanded international action against Israel, with several likening Zionism to apartheid and Nazism. Many cited casualty figures, which according to a UN report, are more than 65,000 Palestinians killed in Gaza since October 2023.They also criticised Western governments for supporting Israel and expressed concern over what they described as the Indian government’s growing economic and diplomatic alignment with Tel Aviv.“This is not just about religion,” Bhasker said, adding that solidarity with Palestinians is a matter of “supporting humanity.”IPSP members stressed that Israel’s role in training governments in surveillance and counterinsurgency makes it “an enemy of common citizens everywhere.”Some participants also pointed to the lack of diversity among speakers. “I wish there were more women and grassroots voices apart from the political representatives,” said Anjali Menon, a social sciences student and an illustrator from mumbai. Others, however, felt the gathering was strengthened by the art, posters, and slogans created by ordinary citizens.Systemic repression of voicesThe hostility of the police and court towards granting permission for the meeting can also be viewed under the larger context of what many activists are claiming to be a pattern of state repression of expressions of resistance to Israel.It comes at a time when similar protests were disrupted in Delhi, where in one instance protestors were arrested by the police and in another peaceful protestors were met with a hostile mob chanting “jai shree ram” and threatening the protestors while the police watched.Mumbai based artist Anshu, who was amongst the attendees, also feels like there is a lack of more such protests against Israel. According to her, previously she had tried to attend protests for Palestine, but the police didn’t allow even “a simple candlelight march, they scattered us”.“This was the First big public demonstration in support of Palestine in Mumbai, and it was heartening to see hundreds of people turn up despite the rain, so many people coming together collectively,” she told The Wire.A participant displays a placard condemning Zionism at the protest. Photo: Tamoghna ChakrabortyShashank, one of the organisers from the IPSP also alleged that police routinely “disrupt” their protests against Israel and had also arrested one of their members in 2023 during a protest in the Mankhurd area of Mumbai.From arresting youth for waving the palestinian flag in Bihar, arresting pro- palestine protestors in Bengaluru to even invoking the UAPA against them in Srinagar, scholars and activists are claiming that the Indian state has been “criminalising” pro-palestinian voices, with a 2024 study detailing how police of states ruled both by the BJP and INC routinely suppress such voices.A pledge to continue the resistanceDespite challenges, the organisers pledged to continue the movement. IPSP members noted that their work extends beyond public rallies to grassroots campaigns under the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) banner. These include door-to-door outreach, film screenings, street plays, and urging shopkeepers to drop Israeli-linked brands, which they have been doing in Mumbai since 2014.“Most of the time, when you explain the issue in detail, people are receptive,” Shashank said.Since it is difficult to get permissions, activists often organise smaller gatherings in private spaces, such as readings of The Gaza Monologues.For many participants, the August 20 protest marked a turning point. “It felt like a collective,” said Anjali. “Around the world people are protesting Zionism and genocide. There should be more such protests in Mumbai too.”The August 20 mobilisation reflected the persistence of pro-Palestine voices in Mumbai and beyond, even amid challenges over permissions and limited media coverage. For many participants, the gathering was not just an isolated protest but part of a broader effort to keep the issue visible in public life. It also raised wider questions: Why do events on Palestine continue to face hurdles in securing permission? And Why do such mobilisations struggle to find space in mainstream media coverage?