Are Indian nationalists planning to rally outside UK Gurdwaras?

Last week a poster claiming to advertise a “Proud Indians car rally” across the UK went viral as it was shared in Sikh community circles.

Given ongoing news about the #FarmersProtest, the poster caused much contention and speculation within UK Sikh communities. The question now is, should UK Sikhs be worried about Indian nationalists demonstrating outside Gurdwaras?

The first thing to note is that although there are many UK Indian groups that have shown support to the BJP government as they trample on the rights of citizens and continue to oppress millions of farmers, not a single Indian or Hindu organisation of any kind have come forward to say they are behind or even supportive of the supposed rally. Note, Indian nationalist groups are nearly always led by or largely supported by Hindus, hence the use of both terms.

The Sikh Press Association are among various Sikh organisations that have reached out to Indian and Hindu representatives to clarify this, and thus far all have either condemned the rally or distanced themselves from it. The first to go on the record with this have been local Southall Hindu groups, in collaboration with the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall committee, who are liaising with police and local faith leaders regarding the matter.

Thus, the origin of the poster remains mysterious.

However, it is not without precedent. In the last week, Indian nationalists have held rallies in Fremont, (USA) and Sydney (Australia). In Brampton (Canada), many such demonstrations have taken place, including one which led to the arrest of an Indian nationalist for possession of a gun, during an attempt to intimidate local Sikhs. In the UK, protests against India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi and against India’s treatment of Kashmir have also seen comparatively very small counter-protests held by Indian nationalists.

With all this in mind, is the possibility of Indian nationalists turning up outside Southall’s biggest Gurdwara to show their support for an Indian government currently oppressing millions of Sikhs in the world’s largest protest realistic?

Southall’s Sikh community won worldwide acclaim in 2011 during the London riots for how they came out to protect all local Gurdwaras (and mosques and mandirs too) during the London riots, as properties were looted across the capital, including huge riots in Ealing, the neighbouring town to Southall (see images below). Going back to the Southall riots of the 70s/80s, the local community is fiercely protective against outsiders coming to cause trouble in the town known for its significant Sikh population. Similar things can be said of the communities of Birmingham and Leicester, where the other “Proud Indians” rally is supposedly being held.

So what is the intention of the poster? A Southall local (who asked to remain anonymous) with decades of experience building relations with local Indian/Hindu groups spoke to Sikh PA, saying:

“The fact no Indian or Hindu group are supporting it points towards the poster being designed to stoke tensions on both sides of the #FarmersProtest issue; those with the government and those against.

“The creator of the poster is thinking in the best case scenario, some patriotic Indians may decide to take part in what they believe is a real national rally. Their participation is guaranteed to cause trouble. Sikhs have spent months watching our people slowly die whilst protesting against the government. To now have someone come and flaunt their support for what is causing their suffering is the highest form of provocation.

“In the worst case scenario for the creator of this poster, they will be thinking Sikhs will be turning out to guard the areas and Gurdwaras, as is certain to happen now just in case any Indian nationalists do turn up. The image of this will be used to claim UK Sikhs are “looking for confrontation” as some may see it and as India’s media are guaranteed to twist it. So this works against Sikhs and in favour of the Indian government trying to claim violent and radical groups outside of India are behind the #FarmersProtest movement. The images may even be used to pick out organisers and activists from within the Sikh community to be targeted by the Indian government.”

Many Sikh organisations and individuals have said similar things about the rally. It is widely believed to be a way to stoke tensions and provoke Sikhs into doing anything which can be used to tarnish the ongoing farmers’ protest.

We asked our interviewee, given the incidents in the USA, Australia and Canada, is it not likely Indian nationalists could demonstrate in the UK in the same way?

“The UK has a very different dynamic than other countries where you have lots of Indian diaspora, especially when it comes to Sikh-Hindu relations. The streets of Southall and Leicester that the rally plans to go down are where thousands of Sikhs and Hindus work together daily. The geography of the UK means communities are more integrated here. They live on the same streets, have children that go to the same schools. The communities are very connected. There is no way that local Hindus in Leicester and Southall will ruin their relationships with the big local Sikh communities by holding such provocative demonstrations.

“However, India is known to source outside influence when it is needed, so we cannot rule out the possibility of paid goons being used to create trouble, which will be used to malign the #FarmersProtest”.

Sikh PA are currently chasing up statements on this alleged planned rally from local police and seeking statements from local Hindu faith leaders too. Updates will be provided as soon as possible.