‘All eyes on Rafah’ but ‘No eyes on Manipur’? Netizens rap selective outrage— all about the new social media trend

Internet was flooded with ‘All eyes on Rafah’ posts after Israel attacked Rafah, a southern city in war-torn Gaza, last week. Several Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities and eminent personalities joined the social media trend to criticise the Benjamin Netanyahu-led Israeli government for its actions. However, another trend, “But no eyes on Manipur”, is now gaining popularity among Indian social media users to highlight the massive outcry of Indian celebrities on the international issue in contrast to their deafening silence on Manipur violence.

Also Read: Manipur violence: A year on, 50,000 people still living in camps; society pulled apart

The phrase has been used to signify how people are vocal about international issues and human rights violations on foreign lands but prefer to stay mum on internal cases of violence like the Manipur conflict.

Also Read: All Eyes on Rafah Meaning: Why are Bollywood celebs using the trending hashtag to express solidarity with Palestine?

What is ‘But no eyes on Manipur’?

Several social media users are using hashtags related to ‘But no eyes on Manipur’, or sharing the template on their social media accounts to draw attention towards the massive ethnic clashes in Manipur last year.

About Manipur conflict

Nearly a year ago, the long-standing tensions between the Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur transcended into massive violence across the state. The ethnic violence in Manipur took nearly 52 lives in three days in May last year. Sadly, the violence didn't stop there and continued for months. The death toll increased to 226 in a year. However, violence in Manipur continued to remain the least-talked-about topic, even after a video of a Kuki woman paraded naked by a group of men went viral in July.

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The incident drew severe backlash and even comments from Prime Minister Narendra Modi. It also led to the intervention of the Supreme Court in the matter. On July 20, an SC bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud instructed the government to act on the matter.

Also Read: 'All eyes on Rafah': Israel counters new trend with 'what your eyes fail to see' | Explained

In the last one year, more than 1,500 people have been injured, and around 60,000 people have been displaced from Manipur. Moreover, nearly 13,247 structures have been destroyed, according to the Indian Express.

What led to the beginning of ‘All eyes on’ trend?

The ‘all eyes on’ trend began after Israel pounded Rafah, home to most of the refugees who sought shelter from Israel attacks in the rest of Gaza. According to Iran's Embassy in India, ‘All eyes on Rafah’ is a term used for the "ongoing genocide in Rafah, Gaza, with over 1.4 million Palestinians seeking shelter".

Soon after Israel's attack on Rafah on Sunday, May 26, social media hashtags like "#AllEyesOnRafah" and "#RafahOnFire" began trending on X, Instagram, and Facebook. The attack killed around 45 civilians and injured hundreds of people.