It was not a group that comprised just of students. These were people from all walks of life and organisations and some in their personal capacity. (Photos: Loveena Tandon/India Today)

On the eve of Republic Day on January 25, around 2,000 people from various organisations and some people in their personal capacity turned on the streets of London to protest against the CAA and NRC to stand in solidarity with those protesting in India.

The demonstration is part of a global weekend of action against what they call, "India's new, discriminatory and unconstitutional laws and other measures to change the basis of Indian citizenship."

Calling themselves, 'United Against Fascism in India', the rally and march started from Downing Street ending their journey at the Indian High Commission where a group of people offered Namaaz in the designated barricaded area while others continued their protest. The group also released an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

From the abrogation of Article 370 to putting J&K leaders on house arrest to the judgement in Ayodhya case, and the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA)- a whole gamut of policies of the Modi government were criticized. On behalf of the Indian diaspora, the letter in the end urged PM Modi to "revoke the CAA and abolish the NRC (National Register of Citizens) and the NPR (National Population Register) as a matter of urgency."

Objecting to the religious discrimination of the CAA, spokesperson Sarbjit Johal from South Asia Solidarity Group, an umbrella group with which many other organisations joined hands, said, "As the Modi regime takes a massive step toward ethnic cleansing of Muslims, we, in the diaspora, stand with the united mass resistance led by women and students which is spreading across India in the face of unspeakable violence from the police and right-wing gangs sponsored by the government. This protest exposes once and for all the myth that Modi can rely on unquestioning support from the diaspora."

Among other groups protesting were- CasteWatch UK, Co-ordinating Committee of Malayali Muslims, SOAS India Society, Tamil People in the UK, Indian Workers Association (GB), Indian Muslim Federation (UK), Federation of Redbridge Muslim Organisations (FORMO), Kashmir Solidarity Movement, South Asian Students Against Fascism, Newham Muslim Alliance and Ghadar International.

Shaheen Moidunny, coordinating committee of Malayali Muslims, said, "The CAA and NRC are laws reflecting a genocide in the making, by a right-wing government whose declared aim has been the annihilation of Muslims in India. It's high time to rise up and defeat the divisive politics and preserve the plurality of the nation."

It was not a group that comprised just of students. These were people from all walks of life and organisations and some in their personal capacity.

Abdul Hafizi, who is from a group of Gujarati Muslims based in the UK, said, "We are here because I am really troubled because in my village about 20 per cent of the people are non-Muslims, who we in Gujarati call Bheels samaj, Aadivasi. They do not have birth certificates, they do not have any documents."

"There is a chap Natwar in my family who has been with us for two generations. He cleans our gardens back home. Natwar does not have birth certificates. If he was asked for documents, he can't produce it. His mother was born in the 1920's and does not have birth certificates. So, the concern we have is not for the Muslims but for non-Muslims, the Adivasis. People who have money who do not have birth certificates will be able to buy their way in but people like Natwar will not be able to buy in. Those are the people we are concerned about so it's a problem not just for Muslims but everyone," he added.

Shamsuddin Agha of the Indian Muslim Federation said, "The foundation of India, its secular Constitution, is being eroded. It must be stopped. We cannot let a repeat of 1935 fascist Germany happen in the world's largest democracy. Jai Hind!"

Just in the month of January, this was the third protest. The group under the parent organisation South Asian Solidarity Movement, said they will continue to raise their voice at every occasion against the CAA and NRC.