London: Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Joseph Vijay's London event was cancelled on Tuesday due to safety concerns as hundreds of fans gathered outside London's
tallest building, The Shard, to see the actor-turned-politician. To avoid any untoward incident after the Metropolitan Police intervened. The cancellation disappointed several fans, with some having waited in long queues for hours. "For public safety concerns, we are calling off the programme because we don't have permission due to safety concerns," a member of the chief minister's team announced over a loudspeaker.
VIDEO | UK: Vijay fan greeting event in London called off due to 'health and safety' reasons after large number of people gather to see Tamil Nadu CM.
Announcement was made by the authorities outside CM Vijay's hotel at the Shard in London on Tuesday.
(Full video available on… pic.twitter.com/l4GDVUL6Fk— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) September 15, 2026
"I think it's reasonable but all of these people have been waiting. This is hardly the kind of crowds we see in Tamil Nadu," said a young fan who had been camped at the actor-turned-politician's hotel for hours.
Vijay is heading a Tamil Nadu government delegation to the UK as part of efforts to bring in new investments for the state.
Earlier, the Chief Minister's Office said the delegation had signed multiple memoranda of Understanding involving investments worth around Rs 12,300 crore during the visit.
MoUs regarding investment proposals for the state comes amid criticism from the Opposition as they questioned agenda behind Vijay's UK trip.
The investment drive, aimed at positioning Tamil Nadu as Asia's premier advanced manufacturing and technology hub, is expected to generate more than 9,400 high-value jobs across the state.
The single largest investment commitment of the tour came from auto component major Samvardhana Motherson International Limited. Partnering with its European and UK-based joint venture entities, the group signed an MoU with Guidance Tamil Nadu to invest approximately Rs 11,000 crore over the next five years, the state's investment facilitation agency said.
Vijay is scheduled to conclude his UK tour and return to India on Wednesday.
