UK Sikh Federation Issues Statement
Responding to the controversy, the UK Sikh Federation issued a statement and clarified the legal status of the kirpan. “The law only provides fully practising Sikhs with a defence under the law to wear a kirpan for religious reasons. If a kirpan or a bladed item is used aggressively in an act of violence, the defence under the law for a kirpan does not apply and it is deemed an offensive weapon,” the organisation said.