Protests erupt against RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat in London

Despite the event being kept confidential by organizers, protesters demonstrated against Mohan Bhagwat and RSS outside Parliament Square in London.

Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief Mohan Bhagwat arrived in the UK on a secret visit on September 3. Despite the organizers keeping the program confidential, protesters outside Parliament Square in London demonstrated against Mohan Bhagwat and RSS, raising slogans against them. It is noteworthy that this was the final phase of his international tour, which began on August 25 in the USA and included a visit to Canada. However, the exact details of his program in the UK were not made public. Despite no official confirmation regarding Bhagwat's activities, protesters gathered outside Parliament Square in London on Sunday. The next day, his visit to the UK was expected to conclude.

Against the symbolic backdrop of the British Parliament and Big Ben, the protesters aimed to convey two messages—

First, they reject RSS's Hindu majoritarian ideas, and second, they oppose the British government's official silence regarding Bhagwat's visit.

From Sunday afternoon, various campaign organizations, expatriate communities, students, and academics began gathering at the protest site. Many placards were also seen with Palestinian flags, which read—

“Never forget the 2002 Gujarat riots,” “Expatriate community united against fascism,” and “Inquilab Zindabad.” One other poster asked British Prime Minister Andy Burnham—“Will you ban RSS?”

A high school teacher participating in the protest said that,

the expatriate Indian community should make their presence felt in such protests, as RSS's politics promotes oppression in India. She cited the case of Hindutva-supporting influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj as an example. Bhardwaj's interview went viral on social media last week, in which he boasted about attacking a student activist's father.

The teacher alleged that,

Bhagwat travels to Western countries to secure millions and billions from his “capitalist friends,” which is used for oppression in India. She stated that in such circumstances, it becomes even more necessary to protest openly.

Another speaker, providing a broader context to the purpose of the protest, told the crowd that they had gathered here against the “ideology of racial nationalism.”

‘Hindus For Human Rights UK’ director Rajiv Sinha claimed that,

as Bhagwat's tour progressed, RSS appeared increasingly “scared.”

He said,

“A day before leaving America, on Saturday, he held his main event at Madison Square Garden in New York. There, he faced tremendous opposition. To secure meetings, he had to lie about his identity, politics, and ideology. But how much have we heard about his activities here in the UK? Not much.”

Upon Bhagwat's arrival in New York, a commission monitoring religious freedom in the USA, USCIRF, demanded that the Donald Trump administration revoke his visa and declare him “ineligible” for entry into the USA in the future.

UNITED STATES COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM (USCIRF) stated that,

it is “extremely concerned” about Bhagwat's visit. The commission alleged that in recent years, groups associated with RSS have carried out violent attacks against religious minorities, including Christians, Dalits, Muslims, and Sikhs.

The commission further stated,

“Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party in India has implemented policies that are closely aligned with RSS's Hindutva ideology and inherently discriminate against religious minority communities.”

On August 29, Bhagwat addressed around five thousand Hindu Americans and expatriate Indians at an event titled ‘One World, One Humanity’ at Madison Square Garden in New York. Two religious leaders who shared the stage with him later stated that the organizers had not informed them that Hindutva leader Mohan Bhagwat would also be participating.

Riverside Church pastor Adrienne Thorn alleged that she was “misled” into attending the event. Meanwhile, another religious leader, Shamsi Ali, described his participation as a “serious mistake in decision-making.”

Many people also protested outside the event venue in New York. Before Bhagwat's arrival in Canada on August 31, two MPs there had demanded that the government ban RSS and prevent its chief from entering the country. They claimed that Bhagwat's presence in Canada could create “social disorder.”

Additionally, over 40 Canadian citizens and religious organizations had also appealed to Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree to deny Bhagwat entry into the country.

USCIRF’s Rajiv Sinha claimed that,

as a result of these incidents, by the time this tour reached the UK, all details of Bhagwat's program were kept confidential.

He told the crowd,

they are hiding because they are scared—and they should be scared. They know we will come forward and protest unitedly as we did today.”

According to the organizers, the decision to protest right in front of the British Parliament in London was made to send a message to those British officials who have not yet taken a clear stance on Bhagwat's visit. Last week, Labour Party MP Nadia Whittome had asked a written question in Parliament to inquire whether the government had assessed Bhagwat's visit under the Home Office's 'unacceptable behavior policy.'

UK Security Minister Dan Jarvis did not directly comment on Bhagwat's presence. He responded that the Home Office cannot comment on individual cases. However, he stated that the government is committed to addressing “all kinds of threats” and holding accountable those who spread ideas that promote “violence and hatred.”

‘Hindus For Human Rights UK’ had asked London Mayor Sadiq Khan to confirm that no municipal venue would be used for Bhagwat's visit and no public funds would be spent. However, Sadiq Khan did not publicly comment on this.

Additionally, a coalition of over 20 expatriate organizations had also demanded that no venue owned by the Greater London Authority be made available for RSS's programs. The coalition also inquired about what measures the Metropolitan Police had taken regarding security during Bhagwat's visit.