The Consulate General of India in Seattle said it had to “deal with a law and order situation” when certain individuals entered its premises “unauthorized” and engaged in aggressive and threatening behaviour with the Consulate staff over alleged denial of visa to one of them.

The Consulate said it was “compelled to call in relevant local authorities to deal with the situation. One of the individuals the Consulate referred to is former Seattle City Council member Kshama Sawant, who said in a post on X that she was in the Consulate with her husband and “refusing to leave”.