UK condemns security breach during S Jaishankar’s visit — ‘Fully committed to ensure…’

Britain on Thursday strongly condemned a security breach during External Affairs Minister (EAM) S Jaishankar's visit to London after a pro-Khalistani protester attempted to break barricades while some others were shouting anti-India slogans.

The development came hours after New Delhi said it expects the host government to fully live up to its diplomatic obligations in such cases and deplored the "misuse of democratic freedoms" by those elements.

In a statement, Britain said that the Metropolitan Police acted swiftly to address the situation and added that any attempts to intimidate, threaten or disrupt public events are completely unacceptable.

Videos posted on social media showed a small group of pro-Khalistan protesters holding yellow flags were shouting slogans against India and Jaishankar on the opposite side of the road from Chatham House.

The incident happened as Jaishankar was leaving Chatham House after concluding an interactive session at the institute, home to the Royal Institute of International Affairs, on Wednesday evening.

The external affairs minister was in London on Tuesday for the first leg of his six-day visit to the UK and Ireland. The visit is aimed at exploring ways to further boost bilateral cooperation.

What UK said

"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," said a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) spokesperson.

"The Metropolitan Police acted swiftly to address the situation and we remain fully committed to ensuring the security of all our diplomatic visitors, in line with our international obligations," the spokesperson added.

How did India react?

External affairs ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that they have seen the footage of a breach of security during the visit of the external affairs minister 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," Jaiswal added.