Archive for June, 2009

Mass protest march: Lets March To Save Our People

Saturday, 20 June 2009, central London

Starts at 1pm from Hyde Park Corner – Park Lane (Nearest Stations: Hyde Park Corner / Marble Arch) Ends at Temple – Embankment

We feel very strongly about the on-going Tamil protest, now entering its 11th week of occupation at Parliament Square.

It is the most extraordinary campaign we have ever witnessed, and the protesters have behaved in a truly exemplary manner. Against all the odds, they have become a powerful movement. Of all the groups to enter the square and challenge the Government directly, these people would have been very easy to dismiss as too quiet, too nice and therefore ineffective. How wrong that would have been! All who have been involved in their campaign can only marvel at these truly amazing people.

They originally came last summer as a small unnoticeable group, who wanted to highlight the impending genocide. They wanted support from our Government and to raise awareness. They got very little if no attention.

Just before the Genocide they exploded into this huge movement of 200,000 plus! On the 11th of April 2009, they marched through central London in a peaceful manner with no arrests. There was very little mainstream media coverage. They flew their national flag without incident.

On the 6th April they filled up the whole of Parliament Square to bursting point, over-spilled, and blocked the road overnight, sealing off Westminster Bridge. This was the start of their remarkable 24hr on-going occupation of Parliament Square that was to break the mould in modern day protesting.

They chanted
“We want ceasefire!
We want ceasefire!
When do we want it…NOW!”
The volume was deafening to the ear, they were so passionate and distressed. (more…)

The battle of the flags

Police have been arresting Tamils waving their national flag in Parliament Square. Maria from Peacestrike has been testing the legality of this by standing outside New Scotland Yard and arguing it out on film when confronted by officers. Maria has now been arrested twice for holding the flag. See more on this unfolding story