WASHINGTON: The US has condemned as “absolutely unacceptable” the attack on the Indian Consulate in San Francisco by some pro-Khalistan elements during a protest, and said it is committed to the safety and security of diplomatic facilities and the diplomats who work within them.
Raising pro-Khalistan slogans, the protesters on Sunday broke open the makeshift security barriers raised by the city police and installed two so-called Khalistan flags inside the Consulate premises. Two consulate personnel soon removed these flags.
Soon thereafter, a group of angry protesters entered the Consulate premises and started hitting the door and windows with iron rods.
“That vandalism, it’s just absolutely unacceptable,” John Kirby, National Security Council Coordinator for strategic communications at the White House, told reporters on Monday at a daily news conference, strongly condemning the incident.
“The State Department’s diplomatic security service is working with local authorities. I can’t speak for the San Francisco police, but I can say that the diplomatic security service is working with local authorities to properly investigate and obviously, the State Department is going to be working from an infrastructure perspective to repair the damage, but it’s unacceptable,” Kirby said in response to a question.
US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan also condemned the acts of violence against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco that have outraged Indian Americans and people in India.
“We condemn the acts of violence against the Indian Consulate in San Francisco. We are committed to the safety and security of these facilities and the diplomats who work within them,” Sullivan said in a tweet on Monday night.