Massive protests have erupted outside the venue where the chief of a Hindu far-right paramilitary, instrumental in putting India’s ruling party in power, Mohan Bhagwat, addressed his supporters in New York.
Bhagwat, who leads the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a Hindu nationalist organisation widely regarded as the ideological parent of India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), spoke at the event titled "Universal Oneness Celebration", organised by American Hindus for Engagement and Dialogue (AHEAD) at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.
His appearance capped an international RSS tour that began August 25 and had already triggered significant backlash in the days leading up to the speech as rights, Muslim, Sikh, Christian and Dalit groups view RSS as a perpetrator of hate and violence.
Bhagwat arrived in New York on Tuesday on the first leg of a three-nation outreach tour to the US, Canada, and the UK at the invitation of overseas Hindu groups to mark the centenary of the RSS, whose affiliates Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) and Bajrang Dal were described by the CIA as "militant religious organisations".
On Wednesday, the US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) urged Washington to consider sanctions against RSS members and to revoke Bhagwat's visa over alleged religious freedom violations in India.
USCIRF stated that the RSS has engaged in severe intolerance and actions targeting minority communities over several decades.
Dozens of additional advocacy groups, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-NY), also denounced Bhagwat's appearance.
Democratic New York City Comptroller candidate Brad Lander also criticised the visit, saying on social media that the city would "not tolerate" what he described as "the spewing of hate from a leader whose organisation promoted hatred against Muslims, Sikhs, Dalits and Christians."
Hundreds of protesters also gathered outside the venue and at City Hall in the days before the speech.
