The sundown crowd of office-goers and students had just begun to trickle in at a McDonald’s outlet in Northwest Delhi on Monday evening when a woman walked in with a poster of an emaciated Palestinian infant with the caption “McDonald’s Funds Genocide”.

Holding up the poster, Akriti Chaudhary — a master’s in history from Delhi University — shouted: “McDonald’s has served the Israeli Defence Forces free meals. This is the IDF that massacres children and innocent civilians. On behalf of the BDS, we call upon justice-loving people to boycott McDonald’s. Free Palestine!”

Several other demonstrators picketed the outlet with props such as cutouts of
a McDonald’s fries holder filled with replicas of shrouded corpses.

Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) is a global movement that works to end international support for Israel’s occupation of Palestine. In 2023, McDonald’s denied supporting any government in the conflict and hinted that its licensee in Israel had taken actions without the parent company’s consent.

The scene, staged by individuals and groups opposed to the Gaza war, has been playing out at retail outlets across Indian cities over the past few months. On the protest pipeline are business houses that have been listed by the BDS as having invested in Israel or being involved in its war effort after the Hamas attack on the country in 2023.

The Indian People in Support of Palestine — the group that Chaudhary is part of — has been around since 2015, but gained prominence after the current round of the conflict began. Dressed in saris and kurtas, the group members resort to street theatre-style picketing with props. They wring out clothes soaked in red dye while protesting outside retail outlets of a famous clothing brand, or display pizza cartons filled with red paint while demonstrating outside Domino’s.

“There are many groups that hold seminars on Palestine in the Constitution Club and the Press Club. They attract students and academics, but do not get the support of the masses. By protesting at popular retail outlets, more people get to know about what is happening,” Priyambada Sharma, an IPSP organiser here, told The Telegraph.

Sharma and three others are facing an FIR for protesting near the Israeli embassy last month. Protesters were let off after several people gathered in solidarity outside the Mandir Marg police station. Police have questioned those named in the FIR thrice.

“We were repeatedly told not to say anything against Israel, as India has good relations with the country. We were asked why we are protesting, as this is only an issue for Muslims. But the government officially recognises Palestine. As a citizen, we don’t benefit from Adani’s weapons deals with Israel. India has always supported the Palestinian liberation struggle,” she said.

Sharma added that picketing in Delhi began with Starbucks on April 25. “In most places we have protested at, people don’t know enough about the war. Those who know believe the mainstream media narrative of this being a religious conflict. We distribute pamphlets to explain why we are boycotting the brands. Many contacted us later, saying that they were in the dark, but wanted to participate in this campaign now,” she said.

Other groups like Solidarity with Palestine have an older demographic and a less confrontational approach. They gather every Wednesday outside BDS-listed brand outlets in Delhi and hold up placards for an hour.

They do not enter the shops or raise slogans, and have asked members of political parties who want to join, to do so as individuals without their party’s banners.

“We don’t want to give the police an excuse to remove us,” explained former Delhi University philosophy professor Madhu Prasad.

“People have been very supportive. One man came to us and gave me an iced Lahori Jeera (fizzy drink) and said aunty, it’s so hot…. When we protested outside KFC on Janpath on July 2, they called the cops who asked us to move. Otherwise, passersby have even offered donations which we refused. We ask them to join us,” she added.

Even if they don’t participate, those who witness these protests get acquainted with the BDS list and apps like No Thanks and Boycat to help them identify brands that Israel gains from.

Sreeja, a research scholar at English and Foreign Languages University, Hyderabad and coordinator of IPSP, explained that protesters have faced violence as well.

“During the demonstration outside Domino’s in Pune in May, we were attacked by BJP activists…. But every time there is repression, we actually get more supporters for subsequent actions,” she explained.

“Besides protests we also hold grassroots campaigns with shopkeepers, in residential areas and around educational institutions. People understand that as a post-colonial country, we should stand with Palestine which is facing a colonial occupation,” Sreeja added.