The United Kingdom has denounced the event in which a faction of Khalistani extremists sought to obstruct the visit of External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar in London, as a protest turned into a security violation on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, while Jaishankar was departing the Chatham House location following a discussion, a man rushed towards his car and ripped the Indian national flag in front of police officers.
The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) of the UK stated that any efforts to interfere with public events are entirely intolerable.
“We strongly condemn the incident that took place outside Chatham House yesterday during the External Affairs Minister’s visit to the UK. While the UK upholds the right to peaceful protest, any attempts to intimidate, threaten, or disrupt public events are completely unacceptable,” the FCDO statement issued on Thursday said.
The UK’s response to the incident occurred hours after the Indian government reacted forcefully to the security breach, denouncing the “provocative actions.”
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs condemned the abuse of “democratic freedoms” by a limited number of “separatists and extremists” and delivered a stern warning to the UK.
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“We have seen the footage of a breach of security during the visit of EAM to the UK. We condemn the provocative activities of this small group of separatists and extremists. We deplore the misuse of democratic freedoms by such elements. We expect the host government in such cases to fully live up to their diplomatic obligations,” the statement by the MEA read.
A video of the incident, currently spreading online, depicts the man forcefully advancing towards the minister’s convoy while officers seemed initially reluctant to intervene. The demonstrator is visible ripping the tricolour while others yelled slogans. Shortly after, the police arrived and removed him along with other extremists.
Previously, Jaishankar engaged in detailed talks at Chevening House with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, addressing numerous bilateral matters such as strategic collaboration, political partnership, trade talks, education, technology, mobility, and exchanges among people.
In a conversation at Chatham House, S Jaishankar was questioned on whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi might utilize former US President Donald Trump’s eagerness for peace negotiations to address the Kashmir conflict with Pakistan.
Jaishankar strongly upheld India’s stance, dismissing any necessity for external mediation. He remarked that India had already made significant moves to tackle the situation, such as the repeal of Article 370, promoting economic growth in the area, and conducting elections with high voter turnout.
