West Bengal: Peace Movement Condemns Israeli Aggression in Gaza

Kolkata: "The war against humanity is being fought in the Gaza strip, and how can we as peace-loving Indians stay aloof from that international situation," Arindam Mukherjee, a peace activist, told NewsClick. Mukherjee and 300 activists were the delegates to a peace conference recently held in Kolkata.

Peace movement organisers from the state of West Bengal on Sunday gathered at the 4th State Conference of All India Peace and Solidarity Organisation (AIPSO). They univocally condemned the raining Israeli attacks on the Gaza Strip residents, which has so far put the figure of those killed, crippled, and missing in wa at nearly one lakh, according to the latest report from the United Nations.

The Subarna Banik Hall, where the conference was held, was named after Palestine solidarity city, and the podium was named after late doyens Tarun Majumdar, Gitesh Sharma and Wasim Kapoor Manch. Veteran Peace Movement leader Rabin Deb hoisted the organisational flag at the venue in the morning after floral tributes were paid in memory of the martyrs.

Renowned actor Samik Bandyopadhyay gave a speech to over 300 delegates from 14 districts. He highlighted that wars are often the result of a conspiracy by certain groups who seek economic and political gains; these groups include imperialists, big corporations and some mainstream media outlets who promote war efforts and create war hysteria. Such propaganda can influence the common people and lead to devastating consequences, like the ongoing conflict in Palestine where the people's right to self-govern has been curbed by the war waged by Israel, he added. Bandyopadhyay strongly criticised the creation of this war mongering and called for peace and understanding among nations.

AIPSO national General Secretary Harcharan Singh Bhat said that most of the common people voice their support for Peace efforts while only a handful want war to go on, hence people must come together to resist the war efforts. the war lover fears the unity of people, he said in his speech.

Senior AIPSO leader Nilotpal Basu said that the State of Israeli reflects the asirations of imperialism and Zionism and is carrying out mass genocide in Israel. In the present times, more and more European powers even are finding it difficult to support Zionist Israel. there is not single European country where there has been not a peace march held in support of the Palestinian people. "Peace loving people from the whole world are coming to the streets to decry the blatant effort to erase Palestinian people from their homelands," he said.

Basu also advocated for an intermingling of demands of the working class people , environmental demands and demands against the corporate loots to be incorporated within the ambit of the peace movement of the country .

During the conference, six proposals were adopted. These included the formation of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state, the dissolution of NATO, the pursuit of an independent foreign policy to protect national interests, the protection of the secular democratic aspects of India's constitution, and the safeguarding of the secular democratic aspects in the state of West Bengal.

Addressing delegates, the General Secretary of AIPSO, Anjan Bera, emphasised that even during peacetime, the logic behind having a peace movement should not be dismissed. He stated that corporate interference often leads to impatience, and eventually, military conflicts. Bera strongly advocated for employee movements to fight against the privatisation of bank insurance, railways, telecom service providers and called for supporting the farmer's movements. He believes that all these movements are associated with the peace movement of the country. 

AIPSO has around 60 mass organisations as members, and Bera urged them to intensify their organisational fight against corporate interest and Hindu nationalism. He also encouraged them to share their experiences of the fight with each other.