Large number of Afghans march in London against Taliban rule

• Various UK-based Afghan community groups and leaders organised the march in Central London.
•  The march started from Marble Arch and the protestors walked towards the BBC Headquarters, 10 Downing Street, and the US Embassy.
• March was attended by a large number of protestors from all age groups carrying flags of Afghanistan, demanding “free Afghanistan”.

LONDON: A large number 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 walked towards 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.

Outside the BBC central office near Oxford Circus, the protestors called on the BBC editorial management to “present the true picture of the Afghan nation” and “stop portraying Taliban and their bloodied rule in a positive light”.

The protestors said that the BBC’s coverage was biased and it failed to properly represent the real situation in Afghanistan and also ignored the two large-scale protests that took place in London within two weeks.

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 Taliban forces. They said the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), the United Kingdom, and other countries simply "gave up on Afghanistan and left the Afghans at the mercy of the Taliban."

The protestors were carrying signs which read, “Free Afghanistan from The Taliban”; “20,000 is not enough, don’t abandon Afghans”; “Free Afghan children from the Taliban 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 and 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 the Taliban rule.

Last week, Mayor of London Sadiq Khan set out plans so London councils could 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."