Israeli and Palestinian flags were spotted at demonstrations on Saturday in London between Indian and Pakistani diasporas, following the Islamist terror attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir, which killed 26 people on Tuesday.
BREAKING: Indian and Pakistani protesters are facing off in London after the brutal Islamist attack on Hindus. Indians are waving Israeli flags, while Pakistanis wave Palestinian flags — just like after Oct. 7, Islamists are back on the streets celebrating.pic.twitter.com/Zu4DIT5Zdc
— Eyal Yakoby (@EYakoby) April 26, 2025
Following the attack, protests erupted in London and other cities in the UK among the diaspora communities.
Unrest between the two communities in the UK has occurred in recent years with a series of brawls and riots between Hindu and Muslim rioters, which some analysts linked to India’s defeat of Pakistan in the 2022 Asia Cricket Cup.
Tensions were further enflamed when a Pakistani diplomat was seen making a throat-slitting gesture at protestors, which the Times of India identified as a senior Pakistani Army officer.
Enflaming old tensions
The attack sparked serious diplomatic tensions between the South Asian states, with the Modi government blaming the Pakistani government for the attack. Indian police announced that two of the three suspects were Pakistani nationals.
This led to a serious enflaming of tensions, mutual visa cancellations, and India unilaterally abrogating the 1960 Indus Water Treaty, with Indian Water Resources Minister C.R. Paatil saying “not even a drop” of water would go to Pakistan.
The treaty regulates the water usage of several rivers that feed into the Indus River, which runs through Pakistan and is its primary source of water.
Pakistan responded by closing its airspace to Indian aircraft and suspending all trade.
Indian and Pakistani troops exchanged gunfire for at least two days, which is still ongoing, with the Indian Army blaming Pakistani troops for sporadic fire around midnight on Thursday.
Reuters contributed to this report.
