UK : British Tamil Protest still going strong

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2009/04/426838.html

As reported on Indymedia yesterday, a large group of protestors had massed on Westminster Bridge, London, angry at the recent repression of the Tamil people by the Sri Lankan government and the lack of British support.

Eyewitnesses claim that their numbers have swelled to 3000 at one point, and that about 400-800 protestors had stayed during the night. Attempts were made by the police to confiscate the Tamil flags that they were waving which resulted in minor skirmishes breaking out. At least one protestor was seen to jump from the bridge but was picked up by the river police. The justification for this was that the police wrongly thought the flags were displaying the logo of the Tamil Tigers, which they consider to be a banned 'terrorist' organisation.

The protestors had originally gathered at Parliament square but were moved on by force as the police stated that they had not "saught permission" to demonstrate there, which is how they came to be on Westminster Bridge.

During the night however, the police moved the protesters back to Parliament square when it became clear that their numbers were too strong to contain and that they weren't going to be leaving in a hurry. A policeman was quoted by the mainstream media as saying;

"we're hoping that they'll get cold or hungry soon and go home"

The protestors however had different ideas;

"We intend to stay until the British Government puts pressure on the government of Sri Lanka to stop the offensive against our people"

The demonstration was originally organised by Students and members of the British Tamil Forum, but was soon joined by many with family links to Sri Lanka and others showing solidarity with the Tamils, including families and young children.

A call has been made for anyone in the area to go to Parliament Square to give support to the protestors and try to put an end to the mass slaughter of innocent civilians by the Sri Lankan government in the Tamil region.

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[dilburt]

this girl has probably never gone to sri lanka in her life

[TryStopUs]

ye course if the girl went she'd probably get shot like the rest of the Tamils

[MrPerfectV]

@saminea1 fuck off with US State Dept report...Sri Lanka is a freedom country...not another state of USA...who cares us reports....

[lukebccb]

These folks *actually* *really* thought the United States, Canada, Western Europe, etc. *ever* gave a fuck about what was happening in Sri Lanka?

[mastercooly7]

@sumir2009

wait, what? the sl government have confirmed that tamil tigers are no longer in operation yet tamils are still dying. You have to be a complete idiot or ignorant racist not to realise that its the sinhala government killing tamils. But you can believe your little lies if it helps you sleep at night.

[MarshmellowFREAK]

I hope the whole world will stop going to Sri Lanka and having anthing to do with them, once all the tamils and other minorities have been "kicked out" of their homeland.^^

[eastgyaldemz]

shaaattt uppp youu sillyy little tamill

[centrino987]

and let me tell ya those chinese planes and guns were very effective. it only took us 2 years and 10 months to finish them off.

[saminea1]

White Racism is the reason why genocide was stopped in Serbia, but not in Sri Lanka...

Halocaust, if the victim is White!!!!!!!!!

War against Terrorism, if the victim is Rwandan, Darfurian or Sri Lankan!!!!!!

[saminea1]

Government of Sri lanka is a terrorist organization!!

US State Dept report 2007=Sri lankan Gov guilty of deadly terrorism.

[chamaraperera]

these days everything made in china

[tamilbhavz]

clearly you are an idiot...

7,000 Tamils in Vanni killed, 14,000 injured in 3 months. Why the fuck would the tamil tigers kill their own people and how the fuck would they kill that many people in 7000 tamils what a load of shit. Clearly you have no idea what my people are going through. internment camps are a nicer way of saying concentration camps SLG are killing the tamils not the tamil tigers.