Hyderabad: Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine (IPSP) held a demonstration outside the Reliance Trends outlet in Secunderabad on Saturday, February 21.
A part of a wider action involving Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam (Vizag), Vijayawada, and Pune, the protests aimed at exposing the long-standing ties between Mukesh Ambani’s Reliance and Israel, as well as the “genocide waged by Israel against the Palestinian people with the help of the United States and other complicit governments.”
Previously, similar protests were held at companies like McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Burger King, Starbucks, Tata, and Mahindra.
“Reliance’s complicity dates back two decades and involves deep investments in the apartheid state through the fuel storage and telecom sectors,” the IPSP said, adding that Reliance’s 2024 joint venture with Israeli company Delta Galil “bolstered the Israeli economy.”
The IPSP alleged that Ambani’s company has “funded at least 117 Israeli startups through partnerships with Jerusalem Innovation Incubator (JII), Israeli Innovation Authority (IIA), OurCrowd, and Yissum.”
Reliance also normalises “Zionist narratives” through think-tanks like the Observer Research Foundation (ORF), the organisation said.
“These acts of deep complicity have helped the company rake in enormous profits at the cost of the Palestinian masses,” said IPSP in a release.
Highlighting the gravity of Israel’s military action in Palestine, IPSP member Ibrahim said over 71,000 Palestinian people have been killed in two years as a result.
“One-third of these victims are under the age of 18. Despite a nominal ceasefire, 520 more Palestinians have been killed,” he said. “Israel has destroyed 90% of housing units and schools, along with over half of Gaza’s hospitals. Additionally, 2,000 people were shot while they were seeking humanitarian aid.”
Geetha, a member of the organisation, used India’s legacy of anti-colonial struggle against British imperialism and urged the public to be inspired by martyrs like Bhagat Singh, Chandrasekhar Azad, and Sukhdev to fight injustice.
She insisted on the need to join the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which includes boycotting in economic, political, diplomatic, cultural, and academic spheres.
Observing that the “complicit companies” are globally facing heavy losses due to the BDS movement, Geeta said boycotting Reliance was an immediate task. She demanded that the Indian government and institutions sever all ties with the Israeli state.
“As children die from state-induced starvation, the hypocrisy of the USA and other imperialist powers stands exposed,” IPSP said, noting that globally, millions of people have organised strikes and protests to condemn Israel’s action and the complicity of their own governments and corporations.
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