https://arab.news/g8xh4
- Online misinformation fueled anti-immigrant riots across Britain
- Many Indians are canceling their UK trips, travel agent says
NEW DELHI: India issued on Tuesday a safety warning for nationals visiting the UK in the wake of riots targeting minority communities.
A wave of violent unrest and disorder has engulfed the UK since last week, after a misinformation campaign stoked outrage over a stabbing attack that killed three young girls and injured 10 people — mostly children — in Southport, northern England.
False rumors spread online that the suspect of the incident was a Muslim asylum-seeker, leading to attacks on immigrants and mosques.
India has since joined a growing number of countries — including Australia, Nigeria, and Indonesia — that have issued safety warnings for their citizens in the UK.
“Visitors from India are advised to stay vigilant and exercise due caution while traveling in the UK,” the High Commission of India in London said in a statement.
“It is advisable to follow local news and advisories issued by local security agencies, and to avoid areas where protests are underway.”
The UK is home to over 1.9 million British Indians and a popular destination for many from the South Asian nation, with more than 600,000 Indian travelers visiting Britain just last year.
Ajay Prakash, who is originally from Bihar and now runs a travel agency in London, said his clients are starting to consider canceling their upcoming trips to the UK because of the unrest.
“We are very much concerned. Because of this, we are getting several calls from our own customers who have booked their trips for UK tours specifically… This is impacting our business a lot,” he told Arab News in a phone interview.
Prakash, who is also the secretary of an Indian community association, said many Asians have grown increasingly concerned over how the situation is unfolding in the UK.
“What I can say is that the Asian community as a whole … all are concerned at the moment,” he said. “We are scared.”