Boris Johnson jumped atop an excavator at a factory of British construction giant JCB. Over the last week, bulldozers, including those made by JCB, have been in the news as government officials used them to destroy homes and businesses of mostly poor Muslims.
The photos of him perched on a bulldozer drew criticism on social media. Critics say the vehicles are used to intimidate India’s Muslim minority. Amnesty India called Johnson’s visit to the factory “ignorant”.
The government has denied the demolitions target Muslims alone. An email seeking comment from JCB outside of UK business hours was not immediately answered.
The UK prime minister gave an election campaign speech at its headquarters in 2019, and JCB is a major donor to his campaign for re-election.
