World
India
A massive crowd of around 100,000 people took to the streets of Bangladesh’s capital on Saturday, voicing strong opposition to Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip, The Associated Press reported. The rally, held at Suhrawardy Park in the heart of the Dhaka University area, was one of the largest pro-Palestine demonstrations seen in the country in recent years, the report said.
Waving hundreds of Palestinian flags and reportedly chanting “Free, Free Palestine,” the protesters sent a message of solidarity with the people of Gaza. According to the report, the crowd included supporters from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, along with members of various Islamist groups and parties.
The rally, the report said, was charged with strong imagery and emotion, with protesters carrying symbolic coffins and effigies representing civilian casualties in Gaza.
Many in the crowd voiced anger over what they called international silence or complicity in the face of the humanitarian crisis unfolding in Gaza, the report further said, adding that demonstrators chanted slogans and played drums as some delivered speeches demanding justice for Palestinians and an end to the violence.
Notably, Bangladesh – a Muslim-majority country of around 170 million people – does not have diplomatic ties with Israel, and the country’s government has supported the Palestinian cause and the creation of an independent Palestinian state.
ALSO READ: Iran and US Kick Off Indirect Nuclear Talks in Oman
