What kind of protest is looting?

There is no doubt that the occupying Israel is carrying out the greatest massacre of the century in Gaza. A completely planned genocide. The Israeli aggression is no longer limited to occupation; it is a well-planned blueprint to completely annihilate the Palestinians. Gaza is now a huge mass grave. One after another family is buried under the rubble.

Fire is pouring down from the sky at every moment, every house is filled with mourning. Lines of bloody corpses have filled up the floors of hospitals. Newborn babies are dying in their mothers' arms due to lack of oxygen, doctors are being buried under the rubble of hospitals, while the powerful countries of the world are silent spectators. Humanity is being buried under the rubble amid the cries of children and mothers.

As a man of this world, it feels like there is blood on my hands, blood on my arms, blood on my face, blood in my eyes. I cannot look in any direction because of the blood. I am also responsible for this bloodshed. I am also guilty. Because, this bloodshed is because of my hatred and jealousy. Perhaps feeling this terrible intensity, the poet of the world, Jibanananda Das, wrote, “I have killed people, my body is covered with their blood/I am the brother of this man who was killed on the path of the world; knowing me as the younger/still, he became hard in his heart and killed me/I am lying by the gurgling of the bloody river and sleeping after killing the elder-like fool.”

The death toll in Gaza from Israel's genocidal aggression since October 2023 has risen to 50,752, the Gaza Health Ministry said on Monday (April 7). According to the United Nations, about 85 percent of the Palestinians in Gaza have been displaced by Israel's brutal attack. In addition, 60 percent of the infrastructure in the besieged territory has been damaged or destroyed. More than 600,000 children in Gaza are at risk of polio-related paralysis. The killing of children in particular has shaken the conscience of people around the world.

Since the start of the new Israeli attack on Gaza on March 18, about 1,400 Palestinians have been killed. People from all walks of life have protested in different countries. Protests have been held in various countries, including the United States, Turkey, Morocco, Germany, Bangladesh, and others.

The style of everyone's protest was peaceful and sophisticated. However, the protest style of a section of Bangladeshi citizens is very ugly and dirty. In the name of protest, they have carried out destruction and looting. Last Monday (April 7), people from different strata of society protested in various places including the capital Dhaka. Some unruly people vandalised and looted Bata showrooms and KFC restaurants, thinking they were Israeli products. The question is, what do they really want by protesting this way? Do they want to stop the genocide in Gaza or do they want to provoke it further? The question arises, how can a group of looters who cannot handle the greed for shoes protest against the Israeli genocide? There is no greater deception against the helpless people of Palestine. Still, it would have been understandable if they had been really Israeli products.

Research has shown that companies like Bata, KFC, 7up and Coca-Cola, which regularly become subject to extreme hatred in Bangladesh, did not originate in Israel. This is perhaps why the poet wrote, “O enchanted mother, you have made seven crore children Bengalis, not humans.”

The origin of the products
Bata Shoes was founded in the Czech Republic (former Austro-Hungarian Empire) in 1894. Its founder was one Thomas Bata. The company is currently headquartered in Switzerland.

Secondly, KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken) originated from Kentucky in the United States. It was founded in 1930 by Colonel Harland Sanders. It is recognized worldwide as a fast-food chain restaurant.

Thirdly, Seven Up (7up) also originated in the United States. First production began in 1929. It is currently owned by Keurig Dr Pepper (in the United States) and marketed internationally by PepsiCo.

Fourthly; Coca-Cola originated from Atlanta at Georgia in the United States. It was founded in 1886 by one John Stith Pemberton. It is currently the world's most popular soft drink brand.

These companies have franchises in Palestine and Israel as well as in Bangladesh. But the companies are not Israeli. If we have to boycott Jewish products, then first of all we have to exclude Facebook, Google, YouTube, Windows, Microsoft, Intel, Android and Apple. However, some crazy people in Bangladesh have come to Facebook to protest against Jews. However, this Facebook is made by a Jew.

On the other hand, Israel is one of the countries that produces the most startups in the world. Many core technologies of AI, machine learning, and robotics are created here, which are used by companies like Google, Microsoft, Meta. Meta is the mother organisation of Facebook. Therefore, the language of protest must be sophisticated, clean, and logical.

As a resident of the world, as a human being, I want this genocide to stop. I want to say, this killing of people by people, this bloodshed, should stop. Let us all sing songs of peace and harmony together.

Author: Journalist, cultural activist.