DU Professor Emeritus Serajul Islam Choudhury, one of the most venerated figures in its history, said on Friday that though once Israeli people were victims of the Nazi Germany-perpetrated holocaust, now Israel is carrying out holocaust on the people of Gaza and Palestine forgetting their past.
They turned Gaza into a prison and killed Gazans inside the prison, he said in a solidarity rally.
The solidarity rally was organized by the Bangladesh Palestine Solidarity Committee in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh on Friday afternoon to stop Israeli aggression and retract Israeli military forces from Palestine.
The rally was headed by Prof Serajul Isam Chowdhury while many other academics, politicians, leaders, and activists from progressive and left leaning parties joined the rally in a row.
The rally began with cultural programs like singing songs, poem recitation and displaying street drama.
Murad Ahmed read out the written note on behalf of Yousef Ramadan, Palestinian ambassador to Bangladesh in the program.
“First, I extend my deepest thanks and appreciation to everyone who took the initiative and contributed to organizing this event, especially to Professor Serajul Islam Chowdhury, who sincerely expresses support and advocacy for the people of Palestine,” Yousef Ramadan said.
Requesting all to not abandon their brothers and sisters in Palestine, Yousef Ramadan also said, “I would like to assure you that no matter how great the sacrifices, the Palestinian people are determined to continue their struggle till they regain their full rights to sovereignty and independence."
In the speech of the chairperson expressing solidarity with the people of Palestine, Prof Serajul Islam Chowdhury said that what is going on in Gaza is not a war, it is a movement and struggle for freedom.
Marking the ongoing incidents in Gaza as the struggle of freedom and comparing it with the liberation war of Bangladesh, Prof. Serajul Islam said, Israeli military forces are targeting women and children. Among the killed people in Gaza 70 percent are women and children.
“We observed biased behaviour in the media. Most of the world media is trying to portray the incident as religious and Hamas vs Israeli Army conflict. But it is not. It is a struggle of freedom where Muslims and Christian are fighting together on the same side,” the professor added.
“It is not only the struggle of Palestinians; it is our struggle too. It is a struggle against capitalism to protect the world and we have nothing to do except fighting it,” he also said.
After the speech, the rally marched to the central Shahid Minar through Bata signal, Science Laboratory crossing, New Market, Nilkhet and TSC road.