Republic Day: We don’t condone burning flags, says UK

As India raised the issue of some anti-India elements planning to burn the Indian flag in London on Republic Day, the Foreign Office said the United Kingdom does not “condone” such activities.

As India raised the issue of some anti-India elements planning to burn the Indian flag in London on Republic Day, the Foreign Office said the United Kingdom does not “condone” such activities, but fiercely protects the right to protest peacefully.

Students form a human chain to resemble the Indian national flag on the eve of the Republic Day in Pune. (PTI)

Indian officials have taken up the issue with London, particularly in the context of the Indian flag being mutilated during the April 2018 visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the Commonwealth heads of government meeting.

A Foreign Office spokesman said: “We congratulate India on her Republic Day celebration, and look forward to deepening our relationship further as we prepare to leave the European Union and forge new partnerships with key global allies.”

“We are proud to be a country that fiercely protects the rights of individuals to peaceful protest and free speech as essential parts of a vibrant democracy, provided that demonstrators act within the law. We do not condone the burning of national flags, which is deeply offensive to most people.”