Massive anti-India protest demo outside Indian High Commission in London
London : Organizations representing South Asian expatriates in the UK, along with various student groups, held a protest demonstration outside the Indian High Commission in London to express solidarity with the ongoing public movement in New Delhi.
According to the Kashmir Media Service, a large number of students and social activists participated in the demonstration, declaring their full support for the ongoing struggle to protect democratic rights, the right to vote, and the right to peaceful protest in India.
The demonstration was organized by several groups, including the South Asia Solidarity Group, the Cambridge South Asian Forum Against Hindutva, the Indian Workers’ Association, and the SOAS Ambedkar Society. Participants raised strong slogans against the Indian government.
The primary objective of the gathering was to highlight the demands of the ongoing protests in India on an international platform. These demands include the immediate dismissal of India’s Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Gyanesh Kumar, and the cancellation of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls currently underway across the country.
Mukti Shah, a representative of the South Asia Solidarity Group, addressing the protesters, said, “This is not merely a matter of the dismissal of a single corrupt official; rather, it represents a broad public awakening and a movement.”
“For us in the UK, raising this voice is essential because the current Indian government’s system is a significant component of far-right politics on a global scale—the repercussions of which are now being increasingly felt here in the UK as well.”
During the demonstration, various student leaders also addressed the participants, urging the community residing in the UK to organize in defence of the democratic rights of the Indian people.
Protesters held banners and placards bearing slogans against the Indian Chief Election Commissioner.
The participants also strongly condemned the state repression, police violence, and incidents of sexual harassment in India.
This demonstration in London was part of a wider campaign taking place across the UK; in this context, the UK chapter of the Students Federation of India (SFI) also organized solidarity protests in Cardiff, Leeds, and Edinburgh.
