UK Condemns Khalistani Extremists' Disruption During Jaishankar's London Visit
The UK government has strongly denounced a security incident involving Khalistani protesters who disrupted External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's visit to London, tearing the Indian flag outside Chatham House.
The United Kingdom has issued a strong condemnation after Khalistani extremists attempted to disrupt External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar's official visit to London. The security breach occurred on Wednesday as the minister was leaving Chatham House following a discussion event.
Video footage circulating online shows a protester aggressively rushing toward Jaishankar's convoy and tearing the Indian national flag in front of police officers, who initially appeared hesitant before intervening and removing the demonstrators from the scene.
In response to the incident, the UK's Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) released a statement on Thursday affirming, "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 noted that Metropolitan Police officers "acted swiftly to address the situation" and reaffirmed Britain's commitment "to ensuring the security of all our diplomatic visitors, in line with our international obligations."
The UK's response came hours after India's Ministry of External Affairs issued its own strong statement condemning the "provocative activities" and criticizing the "misuse of democratic freedoms by such elements." The Indian government also sent a clear message to British authorities, stating, "We expect the host government in such cases to fully live up to their diplomatic obligations."
Prior to the incident, Jaishankar had held extensive discussions with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy at Chevening House, covering bilateral issues including strategic coordination, trade negotiations, education, technology, and people-to-people exchanges.
During his Chatham House appearance, Jaishankar firmly rejected the idea of third-party intervention in Kashmir when asked about potential resolution through former US President Donald Trump's involvement. The minister emphasized that India had already taken decisive steps regarding Kashmir, including the abrogation of Article 370, and stated that "the part we are waiting for is the return of the stolen part of Kashmir, which is under an illegal Pakistani occupation."
Jaishankar's official UK visit is scheduled to continue until March 9.
