‘Blood on clothes’: SIO in Kerala calls for Zudio boycott over alleged ties to Israel

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Protests across India are calling on the public to boycott Zudio, a popular clothing brand under the Tata group, over its alleged ties with Israel. In Kerala, the Students' Islamic Organisation (SIO), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami, led a protest outside Zudio’s Kozhikode outlet on Friday, June 6, urging people not to buy from the brand. The demonstration coincided with Eid, a time when clothing sales usually see a spike.

The protest is part of a wider wave of pro-Palestine activism in India, with activists accusing brands like Zudio of indirectly supporting what they describe as a genocide in Gaza. The Israeli assault on Gaza, launched after the Hamas-led attacks on October 7, 2024, has killed tens of thousands, according to Gaza’s Health Ministry.

SIO is also running a social media campaign with slogans such as “Bloodstains on new clothes – Boycott brands that support the genocide in Gaza.” Placards at the protest read, “Our silence funds the bombing” and “Zudio supports genocide.” 

Zudio, owned by Trent Limited, which is a Tata Group subsidiary, is known for offering budget-friendly, youth-oriented fashion. Apart from Zudio, protesters are also calling for boycotts of Westside, another Tata clothing brand, as well as international brands like Zara, accusing them of having links to Israel.

Meanwhile, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) have hit back at the boycott. Defending the Tata group and criticising the protesters, former BJP state president K Surendran called Tata the “backbone of India’s economy.” Sharing a video of him visiting an outlet of the Zudio, he wrote on X, “The boycott call against TATA … by religious extremists is nothing but a rebellion against the nation. Today they target Zudio for supporting Israel, tomorrow they’ll call to boycott India itself. This anti-national madness must be crushed.”

Surendran also alleged that the “soft stance” of the Congress and Communist Party of India (Marxist) towards religious fanaticism “endangers the country.” 

Similar protests were held in multiple cities including Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Patna, Visakhapatnam, Chandigarh, Rohtak, and Vijayawada. On May 28, the Indian People in Solidarity with Palestine (IPSP) staged a protest outside Zudio’s Secunderabad outlet.