Eggs thrown, scuffle at Hasnat Abdullah's London event, 3 arrested

A political event in London descended into chaos after activists of the UK Awami League and the National Citizen Party (NCP) clashed, with eggs thrown at NCP leaders. British police arrested at least three people following the incident.

The incident took place on Monday evening, June 15, at the 'Maida Grill' restaurant adjacent to the East London Mosque.

Hasnat Abdullah, the National Citizen Party's southern region chief organiser and member of parliament, was the chief guest at the event, organised by the NCP UK Alliance. However, before the scheduled time, expatriate Awami League activists gathered outside the venue and confronted NCP supporters. Eggs were then thrown at NCP leaders.

Police deployed a large number of officers around the venue. Hasnat Abdullah arrived at the venue around 9:00 pm, nearly three hours late, under police escort after the situation was brought under control. He left shortly after delivering a brief speech.

Videos on social media showed Hasnat Abdullah and his associates being followed by several individuals who made provocative comments as they walked through the Elle Park area before the event. The group took shelter in a nearby restaurant, where eggs were thrown at them.

An egg struck NCP central joint convener Ehteshamul Haque, sparking a heated argument with UK Awami League office secretary Shah Shamim, which quickly escalated into a scuffle.

London police confirmed at least three arrests from the venue and surrounding areas on charges of public disturbance. Local sources confirmed that Afsar Khan Sadek, joint general secretary of London Metropolitan Awami League, was among those arrested. It was not immediately clear what legal action Scotland Yard had taken against the arrestees.

The NCP UK Alliance condemned the incident in a statement, calling it a "cowardly and premeditated provocation" by Awami League activists. The statement said the Awami League has yet to abandon its politics of intimidation and intolerance, adding that the people of Bangladesh rejected such political culture through the July Revolution. It said the culture of disdain for democratic values, intolerance of opposing views, and the arrogance of power led to the downfall of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina's government.