The Maulana Azad National Urdu University (MANUU) Students’ Collective organized a ‘Solidarity March’ to protest against the “ongoing genocide” committed by Israel in Palestine. The event held on campus on Monday, saw students from various departments unite to express their support for the Palestinian Resistance Movement.
The MANUU students made its stance clear, affirming its solidarity with the Palestinian people and their “legitimate right to resist the oppressive actions of Israel”. The gathering echoed the sentiments of the global community rallying against the “unlawful occupation” and human rights violations carried out by Israel. The protest also served as a “declaration of support for the retaliatory actions taken by the Palestinian Resistance on October 7th”, which the students consider a justified response to decades of “systemic violence and injustice”.
Addressing the gathering, Talha Mannan, a PhD scholar, highlighted the severe human rights violations in Palestine and the international community’s failure to respond. “The oppression against Palestinians has laid bare the hypocrisy of the West, international war laws, human rights organizations, and the United Nations. Over 40,000 innocent lives have been lost in the past year due to Israeli aggression, and more than 100,000 people have been displaced. Despite this, the silence of the international community remains deafening,” he said.
Mateen Ashraf, former President of MANUU Students’ Union, also addressed the gathering, emphasizing the importance of economic resistance through boycotts. “The least we can do to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian cause is to boycott Israeli products. By doing so, we refuse to contribute to an economy that fuels the Israeli state’s genocidal campaign against Palestinians. Every purchase made from these companies indirectly supports the military and political machinery that is committing atrocities against innocent people in Palestine,” Mateen said.
He urged students and the larger community to join the global boycott movement as a practical step in opposing Israeli aggression.
The students also brought attention to the challenges they faced in holding the protest. Despite the peaceful nature of the event, the university administration neither granted permission for the gathering nor allowed media personnel inside the campus. The students were “subjected to undue pressure and threats from university officials:, citing concerns related to intelligence. The MANUU Students’ Collective strongly condemned this “authoritarian behaviour”, stating that such actions curtail the freedom of expression and stifle student activism on important global issues.
The students reaffirmed their commitment to standing in solidarity with oppressed people across the world, particularly in Palestine, and vowed to continue their efforts to raise awareness about the plight of Palestinians despite administrative hurdles.
