On Independence day, Indians in London were ambushed by thousands of Pakistani protesters turned mobs but how did London Mayor Sadiq Khan not foresee this?

On the Indian Independence Day, members of the Indian diaspora in London were celebrating at the Indian High Commission when they were attacked by Pakistani protesters gathered in the thousands to observe the ‘black day’ as sponsored by the Imran Khan led government of Pakistan. The protesters were brought in from Birmingham, Nottingham and others places in coaches and carried Khalistani and Kashmiri flags. A huge part of the crowd turned into an angry mob that targeted members of the Indian community at the Indian High Commission. This incident has raised serious questions about how the Mayor of London, Sadiq Khan, who is a British Pakistani, allowed such a massive protest to take place at such a time when clashes were plausible. The police were even unable to contain the Pakistani thugs and hooligans who attacked Indians, again raising questions as to why Sadiq Khan could not up the security measures to prevent the violence.

The Pakistani protesters hurled abuses at Indians, threw objects at them ranging from eggs to glass bottles. As Indians gathered for a cultural programme to celebrate the Indian Independence day, these anti-India protests were scheduled at the same time and appeared pre-planned with an aim to attack the Indian High Commission and clash with the Indian community who were celebrating their Independence day.

A pre-planned ambush

The protests were pre-planned to be violent. Thousands of Pakistani protesters were brought in coaches into area where a few hundred Indians were celebrating. Apart from throwing eggs, bottles, vegetables, batteries, potatoes and hot coffee the Pakistani protesters also used smoke bombs to confuse the police horses and broke through the barriers. The mob attempted to enter the India Place also, where Indians were celebrating, however, they were prevented by the police. The mob then steered towards India Place from the other side which was not barricaded by the Police and sandwiched Indian women and children present there.

The Indian families are reported to have been trapped for hours as the violent mobs surrounded them. The reporter reporting the incident narrowly escaped a glass bottle flying towards him. An Indian man holding the Indian flag was seen covered in egg.  A young PIO Kashmiri girl was also hit by eggs twice and complained about the police letting the mob get too close. A 73 year old Pravin Patel held a placard which said ‘We welcome Modi as PM’, when he was attacked, his placard snatched and his forehead cut by a bottle.

Alas, the cultural programme planned by Indians on the Indian Independence day was cancelled after hours of violence by Pakistani mobs. Hundreds of Indians took refuge at the Indian High Commission until the Police cleared their path.

Sadiq Khan’s inefficiency and links with extremists

Sadiq Khan, the Mayor of London and member of the Labour Party which continues to woo a Muslim vote bank, has not even condemned the violence by Pakistani mobs in London yet. London has seen a sharp rise in the number of illegal immigrants and crime rates. There has been a sharp increase in knife-crimes and Sadiq Khan seems to have no control over these stabbings and other crimes in London.

Jeremy Corbyn’s labour party has pandered to the cause of terror organizations like Hamas, often taking an anti-Israel line sprinkled with anti-semitism and has of late taken a similar stand on Kashmir, condemning the Indian government’s move and toeing the line of the Pakistani government. Sadiq Khan also has his own extremist links that haunt him. Earlier, as a human rights lawyer, Sadiq Khan tried to get the UK to lift its ban on Louis Farrakhan, leader of the American Nation of Islam, who described the Jews as ‘blood-suckers’ and Hitler ‘a very great man’. Khan also blamed the 7/7 London bombings, which killed 52, on British foreign policy. Sadiq Khan has also defended Al-Qaradawi, an extremist preacher who condones wife beating and suicide bombings against Israelis: ‘Allah Almighty is just; through his infinite wisdom he has given the weak a weapon the strong do not have and that is their ability to turn their bodies into bombs as Palestinians do.’ Sadiq Khan stood by the extremist and said ‘there is a consensus among Islamic scholars that Mr Al-Qaradawi is not the extremist that he is painted as being’.

Unprecedented levels of hatred and contempt

There are many reasons to suspect Khan’s involvement with Islamists. Sadiq Khan’s failure to not foresee the clashes that took place on Indian Independence Day also reek of a deliberate act of turning a blind eye.  Thousands of Pakistanis prepared to ambush the Indian High Commission landed in the area when a few hundred Indians had already planned to gather for a cultural programme and Sadiq Khan failed to contain the mobs until the situation took a turn for the worse. With violent mobs after them the Indian diaspora had to call off the cultural programme. The Indian community in London stands terrorized today and feels unsafe after this belligerent, uncivilized and unprecedented show of hatred by mainly Pakistani people in a Pakistan sponsored riot.