Protests In London For ‘Kashmir’s Freedom’

London—Furor was witnessed outside the Indian High Commission in London on Friday evening after Lord Nazir Ahmed organised a “black day” protest demanding the freedom for Kashmir and Khalistan, said a media report.

The protest, which coincided with India’s Republic Day, was aimed at highlighting the “oppression of India”, mentioned the report published in the Times of India.

The protest, which was held outside the Indian High Commission in Central London, turned violent after Ahmed’s supporters were countered by many Indian and British groups and later, clashes erupted between the parties, the report mentioned.

In the early afternoon, the vans gathered outside the High Commission, with the two camps — the anti India camp and the counter-protesters initially separated by police — gathering opposite each other leading to heated exchanges. “Khalistan Azaadi” and “RSS terrorists” were some of the slogans of the anti-India protesters while the others shouted “Vande Mataram” and “Modi! Modi!”

 “We are celebrating India’s democracy,” said Jayu Shah of Friends of India Society International, one of the organisers of the counter-protest group, who said the group had learnt the significance of counter-protests during the November 2016 visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when two separate groups congregated outside Downing Street. “From now on, we have to be vocal.”

At the protest, Lord Ahmed told Chennai-based Newspaper the Hindu that the vans would travel to other areas with a large Indian diaspora, including Birmingham, and Manchester, and would continue until Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Britain in April. “We want to tell people that this so-called democracy that they are celebrating are actually an expansion of Hindutva,” he said, drawing a parallel between the treatment of minorities in India and under Adolf Hitler’s Germany.

Ahead of the launch of Lord Ahmed’s campaign, sources in London said India had expressed its concerns through a note verbale to the British Foreign Office, around the use of government and public property by anti-India groups and had been given assurances that forums such as London taxis or buses or billboards on public property could not be used to promote such messages. However, the use of private billboard vans is not something that has been taken up.

Trend of such protests

India has regularly used its channels here to express concerns about anti-India activity, particularly that perceived to incite violence or hatred. Earlier this year, the Birmingham Council withdrew permission for a rally due to take place on the death anniversary of Burhan Wani, after India raised its concerns about the event and the eulogisation of the Kashmir militant.

Lord Ahmed, a Life Peer who was born in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and grew up in England, was suspended from the Labour Party in 2012, and then resigned from the party, after reports that he had offered a £10 million “bounty” for the capture of former U.S. President Barack Obama, which he denies.

Rijiju hails pro-India demonstrators 

Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Saturday hailed those who countered a protest outside the Indian High Commission in London in support of Kashmir freedom on the country’s 69th Republic Day.

The Minister also said that “fringe elements can’t damage the Indian spirit.”

“Salute to the Indian patriots in London. The minuscule fringe elements can’t dent the spirit of India. We are all one from Arunachal Pradesh to Jammu and Kashmir, Nagaland to Rann of Kutch, and Kanyakumari to Punjab,” Rijiju said in a tweet. 

Rijiju said “I was very impressed with our zealously patriotic Indian diaspora and enjoyed a warm interaction with them, which was organised by the High Commission of India in London”.

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