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Official Statement condemning attempted attack on Adviser Mahfuj Alam in London DHAKA, September 13: Yesterday, 12 September 2025, as Information and Broadcasting Adviser Mahfuz Alam left a SOAS-University of London programme marking the first anniversary of Bangladesh’s July uprising, a group of demonstrators threw eggs at Bangladesh High Commission vehicles and briefly tried to block their path. London’s Metropolitan Police intervened effectively; reports indicate Mr Alam was not in the cars struck. The Bangladesh High Commission said police were in constant contact and assured “full security” for the Adviser during his engagements. The incident in London follows an attack on Mr. Alam a couple of weeks ago while he was on government business in New York. During an event at Bangladesh’s Consulate General, protesters threw eggs (and, per multiple accounts, bottles) and smashed glass doors; the mission subsequently wrote to local authorities, including the State Department’s local office, seeking action. Press Secretary of the Chief Adviser Shafiqul Alam publicly condemned the attempted harassment. The Government condemns this latest attack with the same conviction that our government, the people of Bangladesh and the authorities of both host countries stand on the side of civilised values while the thugs inhabit the world of barbarism and bullying. This pattern of conduct has no place in any democracy that values argument over aggression and debate over thuggery. As we said after the attack in New York, violence is not protest; intimidation is not free speech. Those words apply with full force in London as they did in New York. We reaffirm the principle we asserted after the New York incident: fundamental freedoms of speech, assembly and peaceful protest are cornerstones of democracy - but they must be exercised with responsibility and respect. Targeting consular vehicles and attempting to obstruct them is not only reckless, it offends the norms that safeguard dialogue between nations. We acknowledge the Metropolitan Police response and urge continued coordination to identify offenders and pursue appropriate charges. To those who organised or abetted this behaviour: grow up. If you believe in your cause, make your case - peacefully, lawfully, and with dignity. Eggs, fists and mob theatrics persuade no one; they merely prove to the world that you have no argument left. To universities, venues and the diaspora: stand firm for civil discourse. Host the difficult conversations, but insist on conduct that protects speakers, audiences and lawful protesters alike. The measure of a movement is not how loudly it shouts or how violently it acts, but the discipline, dignity and responsibility it upholds. The Government: 1.Calls on the Metropolitan Police to complete a full investigation, using available footage to identify individuals who committed offences (vandalism, assault, obstruction) and bring them to justice. 2.Urges political leaders and community organisers to publicly and unequivocally repudiate violence and intimidation in the diaspora, whatever their factional loyalties. 3.Affirms the right to peaceful protest - and the equal right of officials, students and citizens to speak and assemble without fear. Democracy demands passion; it also demands self‑control. The cause of Bangladesh’s evolution as a democracy that protects all citizens’ security and dignity requires both.