LONDON — Police formed a cordon outside a west London Indian restaurant on Friday evening as protesters demonstrated against its refusal to serve halal meat and controversial social media posts made by its owner, who had been arrested hours earlier.
Crowds gathered outside Singh’s Dining—formerly known as Rangrez—on Fulham Palace Road in Hammersmith, chanting slogans, waving Palestinian flags, and calling for the business to close. The restaurant displays a prominent handwritten sign on its storefront reading: "Proudly we don't sell halal."
Metropolitan Police officers stationed themselves between the demonstrators and the entrance, backed by private security guards reportedly funded by British comedian and actor John Cleese. Cleese has publicly defended the restaurant on social media, framing the dispute as an issue of free speech and menu choice.
Inside the venue, the owner's wife, Khushi Kapoor, held a sign to the window thanking Cleese for hiring the security detail and accusing the police of failing to protect the business.
Hours before the demonstration began, the restaurant's Sikh owner, 54-year-old Harman Singh Kapoor, was arrested at his west London home. In a statement, a Metropolitan Police spokesperson confirmed that a 54-year-old man was taken into custody on Friday, November 13, on suspicion of "possession and distribution of an extreme image."
Before his arrest, Kapoor posted footage of officers at his residence and claimed he had repeatedly requested police protection amid what he described as hundreds of death threats, vandalism, and ongoing intimidation directed at his family and business.
While Kapoor and his supporters maintain the backlash stems from his decision not to serve halal food, critics and protesters have pointed to his online activity. Kapoor has drawn widespread criticism for posts referencing Islam and the conflict in Gaza, including images of himself holding strips of bacon with the caption, "Behold. Bacon can save Western countries."
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