The High Commission of India in London has issued a travel advisor for Indian citizens planning to visit the United Kingdom, following recent disturbances in some parts of the country. The advisory urges travellers to remain vigilant and exercise caution while travelling within the UK. The High Commission advises Indian visitors to stay informed by following local news and security advisories issued by local authorities.
“The Indian High Commission in London has stated that it is closely monitoring the situation and has advised Indian visitors to remain vigilant and follow the guidance of local security agencies. Visitors from India are advised Indian visitors to remain vigilant and exercise due caution while travelling in the UK,” the High Commission said in a post on X. “It is advisable to follow local news and advisories issued by local security agencies and to avoid areas where protests are underway,” it added.
The contact provided for India House at Aldwych, London in case of emergency is: +442078369147and inf.london@mea.gov.in. Birmingham in the north and Plymouth in the Southern England witnessed the latest scenes of clashes between two sets of protestors overnight on August 05, 2024.
It is recommended to avoid the areas where protests and disturbances are taking place to ensure personal safety. The travel advisory for the Indian citizens comes in the wake of significant civil disturbances across the United Kingdom. The recent unrest has been triggered by anti-immigrant protests following a stabbing attack in Southport that killed three children.
Violence has erupted in Britain following a knife attack that resulted in the deaths of three young girls at a Taylor Swift themed dance event in Southport. The attack has triggered widespread unrest with provoking elements spreading false claims that the suspect Axel Muganwa Rudakubana was a Muslim immigrant. This misinformation has sparked anti-immigrant riots in over a dozen UK towns and cities such as Manchester and capital city of London.
Rioters targeted mosques and hotels housing asylum seekers, leading to hundreds of arrests. In response, the government has announced plans to deploy a standing army of specialist police to address the unrest. Tensions over immigration and housing for asylum seekers have fueled the violence, worsened by the economic issues and failing public services.
Neil Basu, a former head of the counter-terrorism police force blamed social media companies for not taking actions to clampdown on misinformation. Meanwhile the UK National Crime Agency (NCA) and Department of Science and Technology are investigating the role of the foreign state actors amplifying misinformation and disinformation about the UK riots including crackdown on automated online bots.
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