Netizens flag Kochi native's Indian flag act during US Capitol siege

KOCHI: A Kochi native is the talk of the town after he was seen with an Indian flag among the Donald Trump supporters who stormed the United States Capitol in Washington DC expressing solidarity with Trump's presidency.

Thykoodam resident Vinson Xavier Palathingal, who is a US citizen, became a sensation after a video of him with the Indian tricolour at Capitol amid protesters went viral on social media.

However, his act has come under severe criticism from various corners with many taking to social media to condemn him for carrying the Indian flag on such an occasion.

Though Vinson wrote a post on Facebook explaining why he was at the spot, it was later found deleted.

A Malayalam news channel quoted him as saying that "he had gone to the Capitol to protest against 'election fraud' and 'not for violence'," like any other ardent Trump follower, Vinson also believed that extensive voting fraud had taken place in the 2020 presidential election in which Democrat Joe Biden won.

He wrote on Twitter, "American patriots – Vietnamese, Indian, Korean and Iranian origins, and from so many other nations and races – who believe massive voter fraud has happened joined the rally yesterday in solidarity with Trump. Peaceful protesters who were exercising our rights."

Reports also quoted his FB post, "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 protestors under the bus. I consider President Donald J Trump as a tool afforded to American patriots by him, to start the cleaning up of the fraud prone system in many states."

James Mathew, a close friend of Vinson, in Kochi told The New Indian Express that Vinson was a Republican and ardent follower of Donald Trump.

"He was in Kochi two years ago. He is active in US Malayali association and has been doing a lot of activities helping people. He is said to be the state central committee member of the Republican Party of Virginia," he added.

Vinson is a successful entrepreneur in the US and founder of the Indo-American Center. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Calicut University (1988) and his master’s degree from University of Nevada, Reno (1995), both in civil engineering.

Vinson is an active member of the Indian-American community and has led many efforts to bolster the Indo-American relations.