Meet the Indian-American man who waved tricolor at US Capitol
Wednesday's attack on the United States Capitol drew global attention, as thousands of supporters of outgoing President Donald Trump stormed the building, accusing the Democrats of stealing the election. Down in India, the video of an Indian flag waving in the crowd of Trump supporters went viral. The flag was being waved by an Indian-American named Vinson Palathingal aka Vincent Xavier.
Vinson is a native of Chambakkara near Vytila in Kochi, Manorama reported. Reportedly, he was among the Indian-Americans recommended by the Trump administration for the President's Export Council. He was quoted as saying by the publication that he had gone to the Capitol to protest against "election fraud" and "not for violence." In a now-deleted Facebook post, he had detailed the fraud allegations.
"Trump rallies are always a lot of fun," Vinson's Facebook post read, "And today was not an exception." He added, "About 50 or so lawless people who breached the US Capitol perimeter by climbing the walls, breaking the windows and attacking police inside this sacred temple to American Democracy is not a reason to throw the million-plus peaceful protesters under the bus."
He alleged "extensive voter fraud" in the 2020 elections. Notably, US officials have found no evidence of voter fraud in the elections, won by Democrat Joe Biden. Vinson claimed that had Trump conceded, the Democrats would have ensured the US moves to a one-party system.
The video of an Indian flag waving among Trump supporters had faced immense criticism. The Malayali Association in the US said it was not happy with Vinson's actions. Varun Gandhi, an MP of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party, had also tweeted, "Why is there an Indian flag there??? This is one fight we definitely don't need to participate in..."
Why is there an Indian flag there??? This is one fight we definitely don’t need to participate in... pic.twitter.com/1dP2KtgHvf
— Varun Gandhi (@varungandhi80) January 7, 2021
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor responded to Gandhi's tweet saying, "Unfortunately, @varungandhi80, there are some Indians with the same mentality as that Trumpist mob, who enjoy using the flag as a weapon rather than a badge of pride, & denounce all who disagree with them as anti-nationals & traitors." "That flag there is a warning to all of us," Tharoor added.
Thousands of Trump supporters had stormed the US Capitol on Wednesday with placards that read "Stop the Steal." Trump has accused Democrats of "stealing" the election and has repeatedly asked supporters to gather in Washington DC on January 6, when the Congress tallies the election results. Four people were killed as the mob scaled the Capitol walls, roaming the building's halls looking for lawmakers.
