WATCH: Hundreds gather in Bengaluru's Freedom Park in show of support for Palestine amid Israel-Hamas war
Facing criticism over the clampdown on pro-Palestine voices, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday clarified the Karnataka government's stance. He asserted that the government would not obstruct any form of expression aligned with Constitutional ideals.
FollowIn a display of solidarity with Palestine, hundreds of citizens and activists gathered at Bengaluru's Freedom Park on Saturday, condemning the ongoing attacks by Israel. Earlier a controversy erupted when the JP Nagar police intervened, forcing the cancellation of a pro-Palestine event at the Ranga Shankara arts space. The police cited security risks, which raised concerns among the artistic and intellectual community.
This incident was not isolated, as the police had previously booked individuals participating in a solidarity gathering on MG Road in October. Later, permission was denied for protests at Freedom Park, leading to frustration among activists.
Facing criticism over the clampdown on pro-Palestine voices, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Friday clarified the government's stance. He asserted that the government would not obstruct any form of expression aligned with Constitutional ideals. The Chief Minister expressed his support for creative expressions such as storytelling, poetry, theatre, and music, emphasizing that these would not be curtailed for any reason.
"The state government will not do anything to prevent or stop any activity that is carried out under the aegis of the core inspiration of the Constitution," Siddaramaiah said.
"For no reason will creative expressions such as storytelling, poetry, theatre and music be stopped. We are in favour of all forms of expressions that are not against the core inspiration of the Constitution," Siddaramaiah insisted.
Siddaramaiah placed the blame on the police, describing their actions as a "misunderstanding" that led to unnecessary confusion. He stated that he had issued directives to the director-general of police to prevent such confusion in the future. The Chief Minister reassured the public that the government would always stand by acts that uphold Constitutional ideals and urged citizens not to create confusion regarding freedom of expression.
The protests in support of Palestine came even as Israel's Mossad said that a negotiating team that had been in Qatar has been ordered home with talks on extending a truce reaching a 'dead end'.
“Due to the dead end in negotiations, and following instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Mossad head David Barnea ordered the negotiating team in Doha to return home,” said a rare statement from Netanyahu’s office issued on behalf of the spy agency.
“The Hamas terror group did not fulfill its obligations under the agreement that included releasing all the women and children that were on the list provided to Hamas that had authorized it,” it added.
"The head of Mossad thanks the head of the CIA, Egypt’s intelligence minister, the prime minister of Qatar for their partnership and the tremendous mediation efforts that led to the release of 84 women and children from Gaza, in addition to 24 foreign nationals," the statement said.
When the ceasefire disintegrated, 136 individuals found themselves in captivity under Gaza terror groups. Among them were 114 men, 20 women, and two children, with ten hostages aged 75 and older. The majority, comprising 125 individuals, were Israelis, while eleven were foreign nationals, including eight from Thailand.
