India’s largest business conglomerate, the Tata Group, is complicit in the ongoing Israeli occupation of Palestine and should be dropped as the title sponsor of the New York City Marathon. A group of activists said this at the launch of a new campaign targeting India’s involvement in the war in the Gaza Strip.
The TCS New York City Marathon, organized by the New York Road Runners (NYRR), a non-profit organization based in the city, is considered the largest marathon in the world. In 2023, more than 51,000 runners participated in the event.
The campaign, dubbed Tata Bye Bye, was launched on Thursday by New York City-based South Asian Left (Salam). They accused Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a subsidiary of the Tata Group, of playing a key role in enabling Israel’s genocidal and apartheid regime.
The group alleged that the Indian company, through its various subsidiaries, maintained several business ties with the Israeli government, including manufacturing weapons and providing IT and cloud services to the Israeli military.
“We demand Tata to reveal all his ties with the Zionist entity and withdraw from them. We demand NYRR to stop TCS,” said Aman, a Salam organizer, who spoke to Middle East Eye and asked to be identified by his first name.
Organizers said Tata invests in Israel’s high-tech and financial ecosystem and has a history of supporting startups working on potential defense applications.
The decision to target Tata in New York City, organizers explained, stemmed from the company’s visibility in the US and its significant role in the American economy.
Aman said Tata was heavily involved in defense projects and worked closely with Israeli contractors, contributing to military operations in the occupied Palestinian territories. “At the same time, he has a very good image. And he uses this image to cover up his crimes,” Aman added.
According to TCS, the company works in the Israeli public sector on various digital ventures, including Project Nimbus, which provides cloud storage for the Israeli government, including the defense and military ministries. (MEE/Z-2)
#ProPalestinian #Activists #Urge #York #Marathon #Reject #Tata #Group
