As protests have been raging across India against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), and the proposed National Register of Citizens (NRC), protests in Auckland are continuing as well.

In a third such protest – after one each in Auckland and Hamilton in December – around 150 protesters gathered in central Auckland on Sunday, January 19, marching across the CBD, voicing their concerns on the recent developments back home in India.

Importantly, and as has been the pattern across all the protests in India and abroad, the gathering sang the Indian National Anthem – Jana Gana Mana, and read aloud the Preamble to the Indian Constitution.

Something which moved the Green Party’s foreign affairs spokesperson Golriz Ghahraman so much that she, later in a Facebook post, noted, “India once taught the world how direct action non-violent protest can bring a colonial empire to its knees. It’s so life affirming to stand with Indians as they fight for Indian equality and democracy – against the politics of division and hate – for their awesome constitution!”

She was the only MP present at the event.

Meanwhile, protesters present came from all regions of India, and were of various religious as well.

Be it Raj from Maharastra, Arif from Delhi, Juniad from Bihar, or Anu Kaloti from Punjab.

Or Muhammad Usama who studied in the Jamia University, and Aqib who was one of the organisers and comes from the Aligarh Muslim University. Everyone present also expressed their concerns on the police brutality against the students of these institutions and the JNU.

The event was hosted by a group called, New Zealanders united to save the Indian Constitution, and was co-organized by Dr Sapna Samant. Other organisations represented at the event were Love Aotearoa Hate Racism, Socialist Aotearoa, Migrant Workers Association, and Unite Union.

-Gaurav Sharma

Pamphlet distributed during the protest rally