Pamphlets, a skit on the Gaza genocide and a symbolic protest mark the national campaign aligned with the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions initiative
NEW DELHI – On the occasion of Global Action Day in support of Palestine, the Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine (IPSP) on Monday organised a protest outside the Starbucks outlet in Kamla Nagar, North Campus, University of Delhi. The demonstration formed part of the BDS India movement – a national campaign aligned with the global Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) initiative.
Activists distributed pamphlets in and outside the coffee shop, raising awareness about the Palestinian struggle. A skit depicting the brutal realities of genocide was performed to draw attention to the continuing violence in Gaza. The performance culminated with a symbolic act: a Starbucks cup filled with fake “blood” was poured on the outlet’s steps, sending a stark message that the coffee sold by the company symbolises, in their words, “the blood of Gaza’s children.”
IPSP member and activist Priyamvada recited Poem of a Child from Gaza, penned by Kavita Krishnapallavi. In her address, she discussed the global BDS movement and highlighted the ongoing resistance by the Palestinian people against what she termed the “genocide carried out by Zionist Israel.”
Priyamvada condemned consumer support for companies profiting from Israel’s economy and arms industry. “The burden of Palestinian blood lies not only with the Zionist regime but also with those who continue to purchase from Israeli-linked corporations,” she said.
Starbucks, she noted, remains a prominent target of the BDS campaign due to its alleged ties with the Israeli economy. The movement claims that Starbucks’ investor Howard Schultz is a staunch Zionist and that the company has invested over $1.7 billion in the Israeli cyber-security firm Wiz.’ Furthermore, it has been reported that Starbucks attempted legal action against a union of its employees who expressed solidarity with Palestine on social media.
Addressing a crowd of students, activists and supporters, Priyamvada also criticised efforts to communalise the Palestine issue. “When fascist forces try to portray support for Gaza as an anti-Muslim act, and when the mainstream media, particularly after the Pahalgam incident, spreads hatred and misinformation, it becomes imperative for justice-loving individuals to raise their voice,” she said.
“We must expose the illegitimate nexus between Zionism and fascism and build a mass movement that forces the Indian state to sever all political, economic, and diplomatic ties with the Zionist regime,” she added.
The Delhi protest is part of a broader BDS India campaign taking place in universities and working-class communities across the country. The campaign urges citizens to boycott a list of companies, including Coca-Cola, Maggi, HP, and Starbucks, which, according to BDS activists, invest in the Israeli economy or companies involved in arms manufacturing.
“The same weapons manufactured through these investments are being used to massacre Palestinian civilians — most of them women and children,” said a BDS India campaign member present at the demonstration.
Protesters carried banners listing such companies and accused them of indirectly supporting war crimes. They argued that withholding consumer support is one of the most effective tools ordinary people have to challenge oppressive regimes.
Participants at the protest unanimously stated that resistance in the current political climate is not only essential but achievable. One demonstrator remarked, “This protest by IPSP proves that even in dark times, the flame of resistance burns bright.”
The IPSP concluded the event by appealing to all progressive, anti-fascist, and anti-Zionist individuals and groups to join the Palestinian struggle. “Boycotting Israeli products is a moral and political responsibility. It is a way of showing that the cry for justice in Palestine echoes in the hearts of people across the world,” they said in a closing statement.
