Thousands of Afghans in London protest Taliban rule

LONDON: Thousands of Afghan protestors took to the streets of Central London for the second week to condemn Afghanistan’s takeover by the Taliban forces and to express their disappointment at the behaviour of the international community.

Various UK-based Afghan community groups and leaders organised the march. The march started from Marble Arch and the protestors marched on to the BBC Headquarters, 10 Downing Street and the US Embassy.

The march was attended by a large number of protestors from all age groups carrying flags of Afghanistan, demanding “free Afghanistan”, calling on the world to do more to restore peace in Afghanistan and help Afghans — and condemning the regional and international powers for creating the current crisis in Afghanistan.

Almost everyone present in the protest said that they had relatives back home who were directly affected by the latest conflict and the response of the international community was disappointing and insulting to the Afghan nation.

The protestors criticised US President Joe Biden for suddenly withdrawing troops from Afghanistan and paving the way for the takeover by the Taleban forces. They said the Nato, the UK and other countries simply gave up on Afghanistan and left the Afghans at the mercy of Taliban.

The protestors were carrying signs which read “Free Afghanistan from The Taleban”; “20000 is not enough, don’t abandon Afghans”; “Free Afghan children from the Taleban regime”; “Stop killing innocent Afghan civilians”; “My Watan deserves peace”; and “BBC speak up”. Most of the demonstrators were waving Afghan flags, in defiance of the Taliban who have not used the national Afghan flag after taking over control of the country.

Protests in London and other European cities have started after the Taliban took over Kabul after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani left the country for the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The protestors called on British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to accommodate more Afghan refugees and help evacuate Afghans who want to flee the country, refusing to live under Taliban rule.

Last week, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan set out plans so London councils can buy homes to be used to resettle Afghan refugee families. A spokesperson for Khan said: “London has a proud history of providing sanctuary to those in need and the Mayor has made clear that he wants to do everything in his power to support Afghan refugees to establish a long-term future in the city.

“That’s why he has today [Thursday, August 26] invited London councils to submit bids to his Right to Buy-back fund, which allows them to buy former council homes back from the private sector.

“In recognition of the emergency situation, the Mayor has signalled his intention to provide increased funding for family-sized homes purchased through the programme.”