British Hindus and Bangladeshi diaspora groups gathered at Parliament Square to protest against the persecution of minorities in Bangladesh, urging the UK government to take action.
International
-Sathish Raman
On
Wednesday,
British
Hindus
and
Bangladeshi
diaspora
groups
gathered
at
Parliament
Square
in
London.
They
protested
against
the
persecution
of
minorities
in
Bangladesh,
urging
the
British
government
to
ensure
the
interim
government
led
by
Mohammad
Yunus
protects
innocent
lives.
image
British
Hindus
and
Bangladeshi
diaspora
groups
gathered
at
Parliament
Square
to
protest
against
the
persecution
of
minorities
in
Bangladesh,
urging
the
UK
government
to
take
action.
Families,
including
children,
braved
the
rain
to
wave
placards
with
messages
like
#SaveBangladeshiHindus
and
“Save
Hindus
in
Bangladesh.” Chants
of
“stop
killing
Hindus”
echoed
near
the
Palace
of
Westminster.
The
demonstration
was
organised
by
groups
such
as
Bengali
Hindu
Adarsha
Sangha
BHAS
UK,
INSIGHT
UK,
and
Hindu
Council
UK.
Protest
Against
Persecution
The
Hindu
Council
UK
stated
that
Bangladesh
Hindus
face
daily
killings
on
false
blasphemy
charges
since
the
Yunus
regime
took
over.
They
urged
UK
Foreign
Secretary
Yvette
Cooper
to
address
these
“heinous
Islamist
killings” and
consider
using
British
aid
to
protect
victims
in
Bangladesh.
INSIGHT
UK
highlighted
that
the
protest
aimed
to
raise
awareness
about
the
ongoing
persecution,
violence,
rape,
and
killings
of
Hindus
and
other
religious
minorities
in
Bangladesh.
The
group
stressed
the
need
for
international
attention
to
these
issues.
UK
Government’s
Response
Last
week,
the
UK
government
condemned
all
acts
of
violence
in
Bangladesh
and
called
for
peaceful
elections.
The
issue
was
discussed
in
the
House
of
Commons,
where
Opposition
Conservative
Party
MP
Bob
Blackman
urged
the
Labour
government
to
protect
minorities
and
ensure
fair
elections
scheduled
for
February.
“We
actively
engage
with
the
humanitarian
situation
and
support
the
interim
government
on
peaceful
and
credible
elections,” said
Alan
Campbell,
Leader
of
the
Commons.
He
emphasised
the
UK’s
commitment
to
human
rights
promotion
and
protection,
condemning
violence
based
on
religion
or
ethnicity.
Commitment
to
Human
Rights
Alan
Campbell
also
welcomed
commitments
from
Interim
Head
of
Government
Yunus
regarding
minority
safety.
“We
have
a
long-standing
commitment
to
the
promotion
and
protection
of
human
rights,”
he
stated,
stressing
ongoing
dialogue
with
Bangladesh’s
interim
government.
Since
last
year,
British
Hindus
and
Bangladeshi
diaspora
groups
have
coordinated
protests
in
London.
They
condemned
actions
such
as
the
“unethical
arrest
of
interfaith
voice
Chinmaya
Prabhu”
and
public
lynching
of
Dipu
Das
by
Islamic
extremists.
Reports
from
Dhaka
indicate
other
attacks
have
occurred.
The
protests
reflect
growing
concern
among
diaspora
communities
about
minority
persecution
in
Bangladesh.
They
seek
international
intervention
to
ensure
safety
and
justice
for
affected
communities.
With
inputs
from
PTI
