Jewish woman arrested for vandalizing pro-Palestinian mural gets bail after being stopped at airport while traveling; SIO reinstalls mural

“I love my country,” an Australian Jewish woman said in a local court in Kerala after vandalizing a pro-Palestinian mural that read: “Silence is violence, stand up for humanity.”

The Australian, who was arrested by Kerala police on Tuesday for vandalizing pro-Palestinian solidarity artworks in Ernakulam district, was prevented from boarding a flight from Cochin International Airport.

Citing a travel ban, immigration officials at the airport on Thursday evening detained a 38-year-old Australian Jewish woman, Zara Shilensky Michele, as she attempted to go to Bali, Indonesia.

Zara, who claimed to be a writer, was arrested by Fort Kochi police on Tuesday, April 18, for vandalizing pro-Palestinian solidarity artworks put up by the Students Islamic Organization of India (SIO), the student wing of Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, on Monday April 17 evening.

The mural destroyed by Zara, which was installed near the Fort Kochi Ro-Ro ferry service, protested Israel’s ongoing genocide of Palestinians. The vandalized mural, which was installed by the Kochi city unit in December 2023, was re-painted at the same location on Friday evening.

Zara’s lawyer, Roshitha AU, said about the travel ban against Maktoob, “I did not know that she was planning to leave Kerala. Only after she was denied an immigration pass by officials did she inform me. Then we heard about the lookout circular (LOC) issued against her by the state police. The Intelligence Service is involved in this case. Although it was not conditional bail granted to her, I have been informed that she cannot leave without the permission of the magistrate or until the case is closed.”

“We don’t know if she will come back when the trial starts and if she leaves the country, it will affect the course of the investigation,” Manoj KR, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Mattancherry Subdivision, told Maktoob about the ban.

Maktoob had published CCTV footage obtained from a nearby restaurant, which showed Zara accompanied by another foreign woman doing the act. They were seen taking a photo of the mural and then returning to tear it down while her friend recorded the video. In addition, Maktoob published a video recording of Zara arguing after being interrogated by youths who witnessed the vandalism. Zara stated that she did it for the Jewish people.

Roshitha told the reporter that she did not know why Zara destroyed the mural. She said: “Initially Zara was unaware of the seriousness of her actions. She never expected it to end like this. She cried all the time in front of me and got scared after the protests. She was not arrogant, as seen in the video afterwards.”

SIO had also criticized the Fort Kochi police for being soft on the vandal. SIO Kochi City President Fuad PS told Maktoob: “On Monday evening, the tourists destroyed two art boards and a flex installed by us in solidarity with Palestine. The next day we went to the police station around 4pm with evidence of the vandalism. However, the police showed no interest in taking action and surprisingly asked us to locate the vandals. We located them near their host family and informed the police, who later summoned them to the station.”

Fuad claims: “The police tried to negotiate on behalf of the vandal. They claimed that no case could be filed without the consent of the Director General of Police. The police seemed more interested in stopping us from filing a case. The police did not want to register a First Information Report (FIR). Despite this, we insisted on filing a case against them. Their attitude towards us changed after we stood firm in our position.”

Following outrage over police inaction, around 200 people, including SIO cadres and local residents, staged a protest for hours raising slogans at the police station premises. This prompted ACP Manoj to arrive, forcing the police to register an FIR overnight on a complaint filed by Kochi Area Secretary of SIO, Muhammed Azeem KS.

Zara was booked under Section 153 (voluntarily provoking with intent to cause riot) of the Indian Penal Code. The FIR states that the defendants destroyed the pro-Palestinian administrations with the intention of causing a riot. On Wednesday, Zara was arrested and placed under police protection at the homestay. Zara was granted bail by the Mattancherry Judicial First Class Magistrate Court on Thursday.

The investigating officer of the case, Sub-Inspector Abdul Hakeem, told Maktoob: “She may have been drunk while doing this and only further investigation will answer her intentions.”

On Thursday, SIO again filed a complaint with the police seeking strict charges against her. SIO Kerala President Muhammad Saeed TK told Maktoob: “What the tourists showed was a pure act of Zionist hatred. The Kerala government’s policies towards Palestine do not match the actions of the Kerala Police. Their approach was lenient towards the Zionist and facilitated her bail. The fact that the Zionist woman was granted bail only because strict rules were not enforced reinforces accusations against the Kerala Police, even by allies of the Kerala government, that they are pro-right.”

The FIR was also criticized for not mentioning Zara’s name and not charging her friend, who was complicit in the act. Responding to the criticism, ACP Manoj told Maktoob: “The ignorance of the complainants is not our fault.” He added, “How can the police write her name in the FIR when her name is not in the complaint?”

Saeed told Manoj, “When we complained, initially we could not name the vandal as we did not know their identity. But even after the vandals were taken into custody, the police could have named her in the FIR. But they didn’t. This explains their hypocrisy.”

Responding to claims by right-wing handles that the court granted Zara bail after finding that her actions were not wrong, Roshitha stated: “No, the court has never supported her actions. The magistrate scolded her and wondered why she had committed such an act in Kerala. The court sternly warned her not to repeat such acts and told her, “If you have come as a tourist, visit and leave without engaging in such acts.”

Laughing, Roshitha added: “She said, ‘I love my country,’” this was the only statement she made in court when asked about the reason for the vandalism.

Pro-Palestinian South Australian author Karen Wyld tweeted: “Australian tourist Zara Shilensky Michele has been arrested for destroying a peace mural in Kerala, India. I’m not pro-cop, but she owes that community an apology for her racist outburst, and she should pay reparations for the artwork she destroyed.”