The Indian consulate in Seattle claims Sawant’s group forced entry after hours, while Sawant alleges consulate staff physically assaulted activists during a peaceful protest.
The controversy over the Indian consulate’s denial of a visa to activist and former Seattle Council Member Kshama Sawant took a new turn after the consulate accused her group of forcing entry into its premises after office hours. In response, Sawant alleged that consulate staff physically assaulted some of her fellow activists during a peaceful civil disobedience action.
The consulate stated on February 6 that unauthorized entry of certain individuals into the premises after office hours caused a law-and-order situation.
Sawant said that she was denied an emergency travel visa to India to visit her ailing mother on Jan. 9 — the third time her application was rejected.
She stated that her 82-year-old mother is in frail health and needs her by her side. However, the Indian consulate in Seattle informed Sawant that she is on “the reject list” and has refused to provide an explanation.
While Sawant’s emergency visa request was denied, her husband, Calvin Priest, was granted one.
The activist accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of political retaliation for her activism.
On Friday, the Consulate General of India in Seattle released a post on X, which said, “Today, the Consulate was forced to deal with a law and order situation arising from the unauthorised entry by certain individuals into the Consulate premises after office hours. Despite repeated requests, these individuals refused to leave the Consulate premises and engaged in aggressive and threatening behavior with the Consulate staff.”
Today, the Consulate was forced to deal with a law and order situation arising from the unauthorized entry by certain individuals into the Consulate premises after office hours.
Despite repeated requests, these individuals refused to leave the Consulate premises and engaged in…
— India In Seattle (@IndiainSeattle) February 7, 2025
Sawant and Workers Strike Back, a labor association founded by Sawant, released a statement saying: “Last evening at the Indian Consulate, Kshama, Calvin, and other Workers Strike Back activists were intimidated, threatened, and physically assaulted while carrying out peaceful civil disobedience. The Consulate staff also called the police. Ironically, the most serious assault took place when Kshama, Calvin, and Workers Strike Back activists tried to peacefully leave the premises, as Consulate staff had repeatedly requested. The Consulate staff then attempted to block the door, physically assaulted those of us who were trying to exit, and engaged in a scuffle to try to confiscate the phone of one activist who was filming the violent actions of the Consulate staff.”
The statement continued, “Left with no visa and no answers, Kshama and Calvin engaged in peaceful civil disobedience, asking for an explanation for the repeated rejections. Later, they were joined in the peaceful civil disobedience by their fellow Workers Strike Back members.
“All we were asking the Consulate officers was to explain why I was on, as they themselves admitted, ‘the reject list’ of the Modi government, and why my visa application had been rejected three times even though my mother is in very poor health.”
Sawant, a socialist, served on the Seattle City Council for 10 years. During that time, she was instrumental in passing a resolution condemning the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act, which critics say discriminates against Muslims. She also helped the council pass a ban on caste-based discrimination.