Archive · 5 Sep 2026
RSS Offers Dialogue After Protests Over Bhagwat’s UK Tour
Mohan Bhagwat, the leader of the RSS, is visiting London.
His visit is part of a larger tour marking the RSS’s centenary.
Some groups in the United Kingdom are protesting the visit.
They asked London Mayor Sadiq Khan not to support or provide a venue for an RSS event.
These groups strongly criticize the RSS and its history and ideas.
The RSS says people are allowed to express different opinions.
Its representative, Sunil Ambedkar, said the organization wants to talk with anyone who wishes to engage.
He said the RSS has nothing to hide and wants to explain its views openly.
Bhagwat also recently spoke about unity, diversity, and dharma at an event in New York.
RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat is visiting London from September 2 to September 7, 2026.
The London trip is the final stop of Bhagwat’s three-nation centenary outreach tour.
Twenty civil society groups urged Mayor Sadiq Khan to condemn or avoid supporting Bhagwat’s proposed event.
The groups described the RSS as authoritarian and militarist and alleged it drew inspiration from European fascism.
RSS media in-charge Sunil Ambedkar said the organization is open to dialogue and accepts different voices in a democracy.
- Who
- RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, RSS media in-charge Sunil Ambedkar, civil society groups, and London Mayor Sadiq Khan.
- What
- Bhagwat’s London visit has prompted protests, while the RSS has said it is open to dialogue.
- When
- Bhagwat is visiting London from September 2 to September 7, 2026; the RSS response was reported on September 5, 2026.
- Where
- London, United Kingdom; related protests also followed Bhagwat’s event in New York.
- Why
- Civil society groups oppose the proposed RSS event because they characterize the organization as authoritarian and militarist, while the RSS says it wants to communicate its views and engage in dialogue.
Civil Society Critics
RSS Position
Whether the event should receive official support
Civil Society Critics
Twenty civil society groups urged Sadiq Khan to condemn the proposed event and decline to offer a venue.
RSS Position
The RSS said it is attending to promote peace, integration, and oneness and did not indicate that the event should be canceled.
Characterization of the RSS
Civil Society Critics
The groups described the RSS as an authoritarian and militarist organization that drew explicit inspiration from European fascism.
RSS Position
The RSS said it wants to explain what it is, what it thinks, and how it views the world openly, adding that there is nothing to hide.
Response to public criticism
Civil Society Critics
The protesting groups called for public condemnation of Bhagwat’s proposed London event.
RSS Position
RSS media in-charge Sunil Ambedkar said people should be free to express different views and invited dialogue with those willing to engage.
- London visit
- September 2–7, 2026
- Tour purpose
- Final leg of Mohan Bhagwat’s three-nation centenary outreach tour
- RSS spokesperson
- Sunil Ambedkar, the organization’s media in-charge
- Civil society letter
- Signed by 20 groups and addressed to UK authorities regarding the proposed event
- Main request
- The groups urged London Mayor Sadiq Khan to condemn the event and decline to provide a venue
- RSS response
- The organization said it is open to dialogue and that different voices are normal in a democracy
- New York event
- Bhagwat addressed more than 5,000 people at the Universal Oneness Celebration at Madison Square Garden