Hundreds took to the streets in different parts of India to protest the recent US-Israeli aggression against Iran and Israel’s continued genocide of Palestinians in Gaza. Protesters also opposed the failure of the Indian government to condemn the imperialist wars in the region.
Nationwide protests were called by all the major Left-wing parties in India collectively, including the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Communist Party of India (CPI), Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation, Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP), and All India Forward Bloc (AIFB).
Protests were held in major cities such as Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Gwalior, among others throughout the last week when Israel and US warplanes were targeting Iranian civilian and nuclear facilities.
Addressing one such protest in Gwalior in central India on June 22, the general secretary of the CPI (M), M. A. Baby claimed that Israel is a rogue state. He claimed that Israel’s aggression in Iran had no legal or moral justification and allegations of Iran having a nuclear weapons program was a false propaganda created by the US and Israel. He declared that Israeli attacks were carried out under the direct instruction and support of the US.
A central protest was organized on Tuesday, June 24, in New Delhi despite security forces trying to stop it. The protest was addressed by several top leaders of the Left, including Arun Kumar, polit bureau member of the CPI (M), and Amarjeet Kaur from CPI.
Speakers in New Delhi expressed their apprehensions on the ceasefire between Israel and Iran that was announced on Monday. Given Israel’s record of repeatedly violating such ceasefires in the past, there is no guarantee that it will not do the same against Iran. They demanded that Israel be held responsible for its blatant violations of international laws, including in Gaza, where it continues the genocide of Palestinians after more than 20 months.
Refuting the claims made by Israel and the US about Iran’s nuclear program as the justification of their attacks, a joint statement issued by the parties of the Left on June 22 noted that “the real intention [behind the attacks was to] “destroy Iran, establish imperialist hegemony over West Asia, and control the global flow of resources.”
The Left further accused that the attacks on Iran were carried out to serve the “interests of the military-industrialist complex and enable international capital to navigate its way out of the prolonged crisis.”
India’s surrender to imperialists
The Leftist parties also repeated their dissatisfaction and opposition to the Indian government’s failure to condemn Israeli and US aggressions against Iran and several other countries in the Middle East in the recent past.
The Left accused India’s ultra-right-wing government, led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, of surrendering to imperialist forces and compromising the country’s long legacy of anti-imperialist struggles and Global South solidarity.
Israel launched unprovoked airstrikes on several Iranians cities and nuclear sites on June 13. Israel accused Iran of developing nuclear weapons without providing any evidence for the same. Amidst the Israeli bombings, the US also launched attacks on Iran’s three nuclear sites on Sunday.
By June 23, when the ceasefire was announced, over 600 Iranians, including dozens of its top military commanders and nuclear scientists had been killed in Israeli attacks.
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India did not explicitly condemn either of the attacks. Modi, in his social media posts, claimed to have talked to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu following the June 13 attacks on Iran. He also claimed to have talked to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian following the US attacks on June 22. He expressed concerns and demanded an end to hostilities without naming the aggressors.
In contrast, reacting to the US attacks on Sunday, the Left-wing parties called it “a grave violation of Iranian sovereignty and the UN charter.” They declared that “the Indian government must abandon its pro-US, pro-Israeli foreign policy stance and join global efforts to stop the war.”
