Why 'Free Palestine' Slogan Finds a Place in Student Protests, According to All India Student Association President

All India Student Association national president Neha Bora explained why the slogan “Free Palestine” always finds a place in student protests and why the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) warns against its use. Bora, who has actively raised her voice against the discrepancies in the ongoing Special Intensive Revision (SIR), seeking Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar’s resignation and accountability by the Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, argued that the ‘Free Palestine’ slogan or rather movement, is rooted in the fight against subjugation, empathy and human freedom, a contradiction ideological stance of the BJP and Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). “Palestine is a stark example of that pushing the boundaries of what a human being is allowed to do to another human being. The fundamental struggle that the people of Palestine, or the people who stand with the people of Palestine, is this: that the powerful cannot continue to subjugate those without power,” she told The Telegraph Online ( click here ). She said that empathy is being humane, and anyone who truly understands its importance will stand in solidarity with Palestine. “This absolute freedom to kill, maim, rape, destroy entire civilisations just because you have power, cannot be allowed to continue. As a human society, if there is anything sacred about us, it is the fact that we have empathy. The marker of people truly understanding why empathy is important, and what human society needs to preserve, will stand with Palestine,” she said. She said that BJP, RSS and Israel share the same ideology of one single society and exterminate the rest. “They [Israel] stand for the extermination of one section of society based on their idea of a promised land and glorified past, and a similar kind of politics we see here (India) with the RSS, which holds another section of society as ‘the other’ and justifies violence against them, justifies the massacre of these citizens,” she said. “The BJP is not just holding power in the Parliament, but the BJP is holding power in the very life of the common citizens of this country. And that is why the RSS or the BJP will always stand with Israel,” she said.