Bob Blackman, the Conservative Party MP for Harrow East, has told Parliament of “masked Khalistani terrorists” threatening his constituents while they were at a screening at the Harrow Vue Cinema in London over the weekend.
Addressing the House of Commons on some protests in the UK against Kangana Ranaut’s film ‘Emergency’ this week, the chair of the 1922 Committee of backbench Tory MPs called on UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper to make a parliamentary statement next week on what action will be taken in the wake of such disruptive acts.
Blackman said: “On Sunday, many of my constituents gathered and paid for a screening of the film ‘Emergency’ in the Harrow Vue cinema. At about 30 or 40 minutes into the screening of the film, masked Khalistani terrorists burst in, threatened members of the audience and forced the screening to end. I understand that similar disruption took place in Wolverhampton, Birmingham, Slough, Staines and Manchester. As a result, Vue cinemas and Cineworld have pulled the film from being screened.
“The film is very controversial, and I am not commenting on its quality or content, but I defend the right of my constituents and other Members’ constituents to be able to view it and make a decision on it. It covers the period when Indira Gandhi was the prime minister of India. It is very controversial and there are certain views that it is an anti-Sikh film, but our constituents should be able to see the film and judge for themselves, and not be threatened by thugs who want to disrupt democratic opportunities to see public films.
“May we have a statement from the Home Secretary next week on what will be done to ensure that people who want to see such films, which have been passed by censors, can do so in peace and harmony? I absolutely defend the right of people to demonstrate outside cinemas, but not to disrupt viewings.”
On behalf of the government, Leader of the Commons Lucy Powell responded to acknowledge that the Opposition MP had raised a very important matter about the relationship between free speech and the right to protest peacefully, and the ability of people to go about their activities freely whatever they choose to do, “whether that is seeing a film which, as he says, has been agreed by the censors and all those who look at those issues”.
Powell stated: “I will certainly ensure that he and the whole House get an update on the very important matters he raises.”
Earlier, Indian actor-politician Ranaut had taken to social media to express “pain in her heart” regarding the film facing protests in the UK and Canada.
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