GENOCIDE IN SRI LANKA: TAMILS RALLY IN TORONTO

On Sunday May 10th it was mothers day. A day that was particularly difficult for myself as a few months ago I lost my mother to cancer. On mother’s day, I was not the only one who had a difficult day mourning the loss of a loved one. Canadian Tamil’s woke to the news that 3000 of their people had been slaughtered on that day alone. Instead of their usual protest at Queens Park, they took to the street and marched onto the Gardener Expressway in downtown Toronto blocking traffic. The genocide continues in Sri Lanka, and for the Tamil people, so do their rallies and cries for help. Since January Canadian Sri Lankans have been marching demanding attention to the innocent Tamil civilians who are facing a brutal form of ethnic cleansing. With recent flashbacks of Rwanda, Sudan, and Palestine, Sri Lanka too will now assume the title of a country that faces ‘mass genocide’ as over 15,000 Tamil civilians have been murdered since January alone. According to the Toronto Chief of Police, and the Ontario MP, Sunday’s Gardener Expressway protest was “disruptive and irresponsible”. The media also contributed negative feedback to Sundays march. “What are we suppose to do, we have been out here for months, but no one does anything, we have pleaded, we have fasted, we waited in the freezing cold and no one is listening” says Uthaya Valthi, a Tamil Canadian.

Uthaya has been marching for months, traveling from Toronto to New York, to Washington DC, even as far as Geneva, Switzerland. “I am a Canadian, I am proud to be a Canadian, but it is my people in Sri Lanka that are dying, even 3 of my own aunts have been murdered. This issue is deeply personal too me”. As I listened to Uthaya speak, I could see the passion and sincerity in her eyes. These past several months she has been doing more then championing a cause, she has been fighting in desperation to save her people and her family from absolute genocide.

The Tamil Canadians rallying outside of Queens Park are looking for more then media attention (although it helps) they are looking for action. Action by the Canadian government to acknowledge the genocide of the Tamil people and for them to offer some form of support and protection whether through political pressure, humanitarian aid, or at the very least, to stop Canadian arms dealers from selling weapons to the Sri Lankan military (who are responsible for wiping out the Tamil population).

At this moment of writing, Canadian Tamils in Toronto are continuing to rally through the night, as each new day seems to bring more bloodshed for their brothers and sisters living in Sri Lanka. It is their hope as they continue to rally outside Queens Park, that they would find solidarity with fellow Canadians from all backgrounds and religions.



Together, we can speak out against injustice.
Together, we can end this genocide.


a non-violent artist



~ Current death toll/numbers were gathered by Tamil sources at these rallies ~