Flags of India and Israel drape a lamp post in New Delhi. Photo: Wikipedia.

JNS.org – Nearly 20,000 participants gathered at a pro-Israel and anti-radical Islam rally in Kolkata, India, on Aug. 16, marching with banners and giving speeches against the terrorist group Hamas.

“The destiny of both India and Israel as thriving democracies are intertwined. We both share the same values,” said rally organizer Tapan Ghosh, according to the Times of Israel. The rally was organized by an Indian political movement, the Hindu Samhati, which commemorates Gopal Mukhopadhyay, “a local hero who saved many innocent lives during the Great Calcutta Killing.” The Great Calcutta Killing refers to a week of Hindu-Muslim rioting that took place in 1946.

India and Israel, which are both “surrounded by very tough neighbors,” are united in peace, Ghosh said.