In Vincent Xavier Palathingal’s YouTube video, he “explains, but does not apologize for,” his decision to wave the Indian national flag at the Capitol Hill protest last Wednesday.

The photo went viral in the Indian media, sparking controversy from Indian politicians like former Ambassador T.P. Sreenivasan and Indian Parliament member Varun Gandhi. Sreenivasan stated in an op ed, “He should have known that it was a motley crowd of White supremacists and other goons, who were ready to kill.”

On January 6th, Xavier and a group of like-minded friends attended the Capitol Hill rally, to show support for “weak” congresspeople who would be voting whether or not to object. He carried an American flag and an Indian flag. The Indian flag, he says, was to show support for the president on behalf of the Indian community and to show the diversity of Trump’s base.

Click here  to read the story in the Fairfax County Times.