Awami League leaders protest outside Yunus’s hotel in London

Banned from all political activities in Bangladesh, Awami League activists in London have launched protests in front of a hotel where Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus is residing on his trip to the United Kingdom.

A group, including people from local Bangladeshi communities and supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami and some other Islamic parties, also gathered at the location in support of Yunus on Tuesday.

Yunus left Dhaka for London on Monday evening for a four-day official visit and arrived at Heathrow International Airport around noon Bangladesh time on Tuesday, reports bdnews24.com.

He then checked into The Dorchester hotel at Park Lane where he will stay for the rest of the trip.

The Awami League protesters demonstrated on the road in front of the hotel from 6:30 am to 9:00 am, featuring former minister Abdur Rahman, state minister for shipping Khalid Mahmud Chowdhury, Sylhet mayor Anwaruzzaman Chowdhury, MPs Habibur Rahman, Abu Zahir, Shofiqur Rahman Choudhury, Ranjit Chandra Sarker participated in the protest.

Each of them faces legal charges in Bangladesh.

Sylhet Awami League leader Bidhan Kumar Saha, UK Awami League General Secretary Syed Shazidur Rahman Faruk, Jubo League's Jamal Khan and many others also joined the protest.

Their slogans filled the air as they held up banners and placards with Yunus's picture.

Later, a group of expatriate Bangladeshis, albeit fewer in number, gathered to back Yunus.

Scheduled for a bilateral meeting with British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, Yunus is also supposed to meet with UK Foreign Secretary David Lammy, several senior ministers, political leaders, and top policymakers during the trip.

Beyond bilateral talks, Yunus will speak at a special event at London’s Chatham House, also known as the Royal Institute of International Affairs on Jun 11, where he will share his views on Bangladesh’s current realities, prospects, and challenges.

The following day, Yunus is set to receive the King Charles III Harmony Award at a formal ceremony at St James’s Palace.