Palestine Solidarity Alliance opposes India’s CAA.

The Palestine Solidarity Alliance opposes apartheid wherever it occurs and lends its voice to the millions of people around the globe and specifically to the peace-loving people of India who have raised their voices against the racist policies of the government of India and its Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The recent Indian Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of India legitimizes discrimination on the basis of religion similar to that of the Zionist regime of Israel, illegally occupying Palestine. Over the past few weeks the people of India comprising of all races and ethnicity have shown their dissatisfaction with this racist law by organizing large scale protests across India. The BJP government have responded to these protests with brutal force, detaining and arresting hundreds of people, many innocent people have been seriously wounded and more than 25 people have been killed in the last few weeks.

The violent response of the state of India toward free speech and legitimate protest by freedom loving people is no different from that experienced by the resistance movement in South Africa from the Apartheid Nationalist Government prior to 1994 or that experienced by the people of Palestine at the hands of the Zionist Apartheid Government of Israel.

International human rights organizations, including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have come out strongly against these actions of the BJP Government. Many are seeing this as a moment of crisis for the Indian constitution, which guarantees equal rights to minorities as well as the right to engage in peaceful protest. India was one of the first countries to support the fight against Apartheid in South Africa. It is now our turn to support the people of India in their fight against a Government whose policies and actions are based on racism and ethnicity.

 “India’s unilateral decision to sever all links – economic, political, diplomatic, etc., – with the apartheid state in the 1940s as an expression of her abhorrence to racism served as a spur to our freedom movement.”

 Nelson Mandela

 In light of this situation, the Palestine Solidarity Alliance denounces the violent actions of the ruling party in India and request that:

1. The South Africa Government show their support to the people of India in their opposition to the racist CAA law and engages on the matter with the Government of India

2. The Indian Government stop criminalizing protests, lift restrictions on free speech and ensure protection of all human rights
3. Release all political prisoners and ensure that freedom of speech and right of protest is protected
4. Call on the Government of India to respect Articles 13, 14, 15, 16, and 21 of the Indian constitution which guarantee freedom from discrimination.
5. Call on the Government of India to immediately recall the racist, apartheid law as per the CAA

 

Issued by:

Naazim Adam
National Coordinator
082 336 6711
Palestine Solidarity Alliance
palestinesa@gmail.com