LONDON: A group of masked Khalistani supporters stormed the Harrow Vue cinema on Sunday night, disrupting the screening of the movie Emergency with anti-India slogans. The incident left the audience, primarily members of the Indian diaspora, frightened and forced the cinema to halt the screening.
Saloni Belaid, a British Indian who attended the screening with friends, recounted the chaos. “The cinema was about three-quarters full, and we were 40 minutes into the movie when the disruption began,” she said. “Masked men and a woman stormed in shouting, ‘Down with India.’ They handed out leaflets about the Sikh genocide and pushed past staff without tickets. It was really chaotic and scary. Most of the audience—about 95%—left in fear, but my friends and I stayed to confront them.”
Belaid noted that cinema staff did not intervene during the incident. Police arrived within 10 minutes but made no arrests. “The police told us they were within their protest rights as long as no one was harmed,” she said. “The staff seemed scared, and the manager appeared shaken. When we asked to resume the movie, the manager told us it was canceled.”
Families Left Shocked
Rashmi Chaubey, an Indian citizen from Varanasi who attended with her children and their friends, described the distressing scene. “When I heard the commotion, I turned and saw masked men in the dark. They were everywhere—at the entrance and exit doors. A group even covered the projector so we couldn’t watch the movie,” she said. “People were frightened, especially the young and elderly. Some masked men stood in front of the screen shouting pro-Khalistan slogans.”
Chaubey added that despite their requests to resume the film, the police deemed it a security threat and the screening remained canceled.
Protest Justification
Jasveer Singh, representing the Sikh Press Association, defended the disruption, calling the movie “anti-Sikh Indian state propaganda.” The group has been encouraging protests against the film, which depicts controversial events in Indian history.
Cinema Management Under Scrutiny
The incident has raised concerns about cinema security and staff preparedness in handling such disruptions. While no injuries were reported, attendees criticized the lack of intervention and expressed frustration over the canceled screening.
The Harrow Vue cinema and local authorities have yet to comment on the incident. Meanwhile, the Indian diaspora in the UK is urging stricter measures to prevent such disruptions in the future.
