Whataboutism has never had a positive connotation. The very origin of the term presupposes it's a bad thing.I never said this, you're putting words into my mouth, which seems to be an ongoing thing here. Go on with your buzzwords tho.
You're just completely ignoring the fact that a lot of these protest act like they are morally superior and say that everyone should act the same way. Whataboutism is annoying in a lot of discussions, but sometimes it is also just fair. It's given a negative connotation so that people simply can't use it in discussions ever, which is beyond stupid.
And of course these protesters give the idea that the issue they're protesting is the only, most pressing issue in the world today. That's more effective than saying "FREE GAZA, and oh yeah, there's also a lot of other stuff going on that you should care about. On the back of my banner you'll find a full list."