People are encouraged to switch off their mobile phones every day from 9 pm to 9.30 pm as a symbolic act of solidarity with the Palestinians
NEW DELHI — The Communist Party of India (Marxist) has endorsed the global campaign ‘Silence for Gaza’. The party called on people across India, particularly activists, students, workers, and digital users, to join the protest wholeheartedly and help spread awareness.
As part of the campaign, people are encouraged to switch off their mobile phones every day from 9 pm to 9.30 pm (local time) as a symbolic act of solidarity with the Palestinian people. During this half-hour window, participants are also urged to refrain from all activities on social media — no posting, liking, commenting, or sharing.
In a statement issued on Saturday, the CPI(M) said the protest is a response to the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the complicity of multinational corporations in Israel’s military operations. The party cited a recent United Nations report titled “From Economy of Occupation to Economy of Genocide”, which details how various global corporations are profiting from and enabling the assault on Gaza.
“These corporations feed off our digital footprints, even as they enable genocide,” CPI(M) said in a statement. “Shutting off our mobile phones for half an hour each day is a small but powerful act of digital disruption—a strike against the surveillance capitalism that bankrolls Israel’s genocide and apartheid.”
By endorsing the Silence for Gaza campaign, the CPI(M) said it stands firmly with the Palestinian people and against what it called the “brutal, genocidal assault unleashed by Israel.” The party also emphasised the importance of making the silent protest a collective and consistent act of resistance. It urged the citizens across the country to join the campaign.
“This is not merely symbolic,” the statement read. “It is a defiant refusal to be complicit. It is a powerful assertion that the voices against war crimes will not be silenced.”
The CPI(M) said: “In this age of data-driven exploitation, our silence can be disruptive. Our refusal to engage digitally, even briefly, can challenge the structures that profit from violence,” it added.
The Silence for Gaza campaign has been gaining global traction as casualties in Gaza continue to rise amid ongoing Israeli military operations, which have drawn widespread international condemnation and calls for an immediate ceasefire.
