Leaders and activists of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) marched in procession to Naya Paltan on Thursday (10 April) to join a party rally protesting Israel’s brutal mass killings in Gaza and Rafah, and to express solidarity with the oppressed Palestinian people.
From noon onwards, crowds of BNP supporters began gathering in and around the party’s central office in Nayapaltan.
Although the rally was officially scheduled to begin at 4pm, party activists arrived in droves from early afternoon, swelling the streets with chants and banners.
Waving Palestinian and Bangladeshi flags, many protesters wore white shrouds symbolising the dead, while others carried mock corpses draped in cloth to depict the carnage unfolding in Gaza.
Bands bearing slogans of Palestinian freedom were tied around their foreheads, and placards condemning Israeli aggression were prominently displayed.
Chants such as “Naraye Takbeer, Allahu Akbar”, “Palestine Zindabad”, “Boycott Israeli products” and “Zia’s soldiers, unite!” echoed through the city streets, rallying cries growing louder as more activists poured in.
Earlier, the BNP had announced the rally as part of a nationwide programme to denounce Israeli atrocities and to stand in solidarity with the Palestinian cause. Simultaneous demonstrations were held across major cities of the country.
The procession began from the party’s central office and was set to wind its way through Kakrail, Malibagh, and Moghbazar before concluding at Bangla Motor.
