Large number of people in 'March for Gaza' program, protesting with slogans and placards

The 'March for Gaza' program was held at Suhrawardy Udyan in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, to protest "against the ongoing genocide and ethnic cleansing" in Gaza, Palestine. A large number of people participated in it, carrying various posters, banners, placards and flags of Bangladesh and Palestine.

The "March for Gaza" program was called by a platform called 'Palestine Solidarity Movement Bangladesh'. Leaders of BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, Jatiya Nagorik Party or NCP, Hefazat-e-Islam, Islamic speakers and people from various classes and professions expressed solidarity with the program.

A declaration was read out at the rally on Saturday afternoon with five demands. It demanded the cancellation of all agreements of the Bangladesh government with Israel, an end to the Israeli aggression in Gaza and an appeal to the Muslim world to sever ties with Israel.

Religious speakers and leaders of various parties were seen attending the program on a stage set up at Suhrawardy Udyan to express solidarity. However, the presence of women in the program was comparatively low.

Thousands of people carrying Palestinian flags started coming towards Suhrawardy Udyan since Saturday afternoon. By noon, the park was full of people.

At this time, traffic in Shahbagh and its surrounding areas was stopped.

After a while, people were seen coming in buses and trucks from different areas of Dhaka to the area near Suhrawardy and marching inside.

Many students under the banner of private universities also participated in the program. In addition, many people were seen leaving for Suhrawardy Udyan in separate processions from different areas of the capital.

People participating in these processions were seen condemning the Israeli genocide and raising various slogans to stop it.

Some of the participants in the program said that they had come to Suhrawardy Udyan to protest the ongoing massacre of Muslims in Palestine and Gaza.

They want to send a message that this massacre should be stopped immediately. That is the purpose of their 'march'.

Around 4 pm, Shahbagh, Matsya Bhaban, Engineers Institute and every street around the park were crowded with people.

The army and police were seen setting up security posts on the streets.

Many people were seen coming to join the program even on the roof of trains in the Tejgaon area.

Some of the people who gathered in Suhrawardy said that many people from various areas including Dhaka and the surrounding areas had come here in the morning to join the program.

More than 80,000 people expressed their interest in participating in the 'March for Gaza' event on social media Facebook.

When the program was announced, the march was supposed to be held towards Manik Mia Avenue in the capital. Later, it was decided to hold a mass gathering at Suhrawardy Udyan at 3 pm on Saturday.

A press release issued by the 'Palestine Solidarity Movement Bangladesh' provided a guideline for participating in the program.

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, Nagorik Party's southern chief organizer Hasnat Abdullah, 'Safe Roads' movement founder Ilias Kanchan, BJP Chairman Andalib Rahman Partha, Dhaka University Vice Chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan, Islamic speakers Mizanur Rahman Azhari and Shaikh Ahmadullah, and many others expressed solidarity with this program.

Earlier, several protest programs were held in different parts of the country, including Dhaka, to protest the Israeli attack on Gaza.

Among them, on Monday, April 7, more than a dozen business establishments, including KFC, Bata, and Pizza Hut, were attacked and looted in several districts including Sylhet, Chittagong, and Cox's Bazar.

Also, last Thursday, Bangladesh held a nationwide protest march and solidarity rally to protest the Israeli aggression and genocide in Gaza and Rafah, Palestine.