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The 2009 Canadian Tamil protests refers to a series of public human chains, demonstrations and protests, which took place in major Canadian cities, along with other world cities with a significant Tamil diaspora population, during the year 2009, regarding the alleged genocide of Sri Lankan Tamil people in the northern province of the island nation Sri Lanka. Several Tamil organizations and businesses in the Greater Toronto Area, home to nearly 200,000 Tamil immigrants and citizens, had closed businesses and took part in rallies in the downtown area of the city.[1] The aim was to appeal to leaders, notably the Prime Minister of Canada, Stephen Harper, the President of the United States, Barack Obama and the Consulate General of Sri Lanka in Canada, Bandula Jayasekara, to take action in ending the conflict in Northern Province, Sri Lanka. The first notable protest took place on January 28, 2009 in front of the Sri Lankan Consulate in Toronto involving a few hundred people.[2] The following day, several thousands gathered in front of the United States Consulate in Toronto to appeal to the American government to take action regarding the hostilities. A human chain, as long as 5 kilometres,[3] of several thousands of people took place the next day in Downtown Toronto. Further protests have also happened in Calgary, Edmonton, Montreal, Vancouver and Ottawa. After the January 30th human chain, several protests have followed till date, including the non-stop protests at Parliament Hill and the US consulate in Toronto during April and the Gardiner Expressway blockade in May. Canadian Tamils have helped active protesting in the United States as well.
[edit] Protests[edit] OttawaThe first major protest in Ottawa took place on February 4, 2009 at Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario, the capital city of Canada, in an effort to attract the attention of Canada's parliament members. Thousands of Tamils gathered in front of the Peace Tower, subsequently drawing out a few politicians from the nearby Parliament building, notably Bev Oda and NDP leader Jack Layton. Layton announced that he would call parliament to an emergency debate. Oda announced that the government would provide financial aid to the affected civilians, with the help of World Vision and Médecins Sans Frontières.[4] April 6, 2009 was the start of a non-stop, continuous demonstration and protest at Parliament Hill, Ottawa, organized by Tamil Student Associations and the Canadian Tamil Congress. The protest, similar to other non-stop protests and demonstrations held at other locations around the world such as Sydney and London at the same time, saw bus-loads of demonstrators arriving for protesting. Ottawa Police Service and Ontario Provincial Police officers oversaw the protests, which were later termed to be "peaceful."[5] As of April 20, the non-stop protest took its fourteenth consecutive day. A few streets in the vicinity of Parliament Hill had been closed down to make way for demonstrators. The protest was the decision by several Tamil organizations after the Sri Lankan Government ruled out a ceasefire and allegedly forced an attack in Northern Sri Lanka with an unknown substance of chemical warfare, claiming the lives of nearly 2000 civilians and LTTE militants.[6] The protest was expected to continue until the Government of Canada forced negotiations with the Sri Lankan Army. On April 7, six individuals began their own hunger strike at Parliament Hill. All strikes have since ended. After another protest with an estimated 30,000 protesters at Parliament Hill on April 21, the "non-stop protest" at Ottawa came to an end on April 21.[7] Ottawa City Councillor Eli El-Chantiry announced the policing costs for the protest to be nearly $800,000 for which the federal government was expected to pay.[8] [edit] Toronto[edit] Early demonstrationsIn the Greater Toronto Area, several local Tamil communities organized hunger strikes. Tamil Student Associations at the University of Toronto and Ryerson University also staged demonstrations on campus to promoted awareness of the ethnic conflict to students.[9] During the week of January 25, several Tamil media, such as television stations and newspapers, announced a strike, requesting all Tamils to not attend work or school during the week and take part in the protests that will happen in their respective communities. On January 28, several Tamils gathered in front of the Sri Lankan Consulate General's office to protest, and attempted to meet the consulate general. However, the consulate general, Bandula Jayasekara, reportedly termed the protestors as "terrorists" and refused to admit them.[2] The protest resumed until the evening. The following day, January 29, several protestors gathered in front of the US consulate general's office throughout the day, appealing to the consulate general to pressure the Government of the United States to take an action on the war. [edit] Human chains and ralliesThe next protest and demonstration took the form of an human chain which took place on January 30 in Toronto, comprising thousands of protesters. The length of the human chain was expected to stretch from Union Station to the St. Patrick TTC subway station. However the chain and protests had also taken place through the downtown portion of Yonge Street, along Front Street and back up University Avenue, forming a U-shape and stretching about 5 kilometres, amidst traffic and other pedestrians.[3] Slogans such as "We want justice", "Sri Lanka, end the war", and "Canada help us" were chanted by the protesters across the streets. According to a Toronto Police Service's spokesperson, "the protest took place in a very peaceful and orderly manner."[3] [edit] Non-stop protests A week after the Ottawa non-stop protests ended, non-stop protests and demonstrations began on the evening of April 26 at the US Consulate General's office in Toronto, urging US President Barack Obama to call for an immediate permanent ceasefire. Protests continued throughout the week.[10] On the third day of the non-stop protest (April 29), fifteen arrests were made while one woman was injured after a brief scuffle with police. This altercation was the first one to happen among the Canadian Tamil protests.[11][12] The protests later shifted to Queen's Park which is a few kilometres north of the US consulate, with a diminished number of protestors. Another major human chain, which was expected to occur May 5, was abruptly postponed the previous night by organizers because of the impact previous demonstrations.[13] The cancellation was reported throughout Facebook, Twitter, Tamil television and radio stations and word of mouth. Some thought the cancellation was because of the recent swine flu outbreak.[14] The postponed human chain demonstration took place on May 9 in downtown.[15] [edit] Gardner Expressway blockade On the following day, May 10, an immediate vigil and protest was launched after international reports of the shelling of Tamil civilians in the SLA declaired safe zone of Sri Lanka by the military which reportedly killed 378 civilians, but protestors claim it to be over 1000.[16][17][18] The protest began on Spadina Avenue and abruptly spread past police cordons onto the Gardiner Expressway, a major arterial highway in Downtown Toronto, trapping vehicles and motorists. The Gardiner Expressway and Toronto's Don Valley Parkway were shut down, causing heavy traffic throughout other Toronto streets and highways.[19][20] York Regional Police, Peel Regional Police and Ontario Provincial Police were called in for back up policing. It was the first time a major highway was closed down in the city for such reasons. CP24 had given a breaking-news live coverage on the protest throughout the evening. The protest continued throughout the night and the highway was cleared and reopened after a message from the Liberal Party of Canada stated that they would make a statement on the issue soon.[20] Three individuals were also arrested during the protest for assaulting a police officer while on duty. The next day, peaceful protests continued in front of the Sri Lankan Consulate on the sidewalk of Spadina Avenue and at Queen's Park simultaneously. York and Peel police services and the OPP and RCMP continued to help policing to prevent civil diobedience as what had happened the previous night. Toronto Mayor David Miller urged that such tactics as blockading the Gardiner Expressway not be used again. Police officials decried the use of children during such dangerous tactics.[21] [edit] Queen's Park rallyOn May 13, several thousands of protesters crowded in front of Queen's Park protesting the latest offensive by the Sri Lankan Army, resulting in a situation which was later termed by the United Nations as a "bloodbath."[22][23] Traffic was blocked and police forces with riot gear and mounted on horses were present in force. After Tamil protests took place at Queen's Park, the protesters flooded portions of College Street, Yonge Street, Queen Street and University Avenue for a march. The immediate demands of the protest were to bring apon an immediate permanent ceasefire, allow media and journalists into the warzone and to place diplomatic sanctions on the Sri Lankan government. [24] The protests attracted more widespread frustration within Toronto, which included a counter-demonstration which was set up against the Tamil protesters by Toronto's Sinhalese community.[22] The anti-Tamil protests blamed the Tamils to be "terrorists" as they launched a private airplane with a banner attached to it reading "Protect Canada - Stop the Tamil Tigers" which circled Queen's Park for some time.[25] The protesters also ran a food-drive, asking for non-perishable food items. Toronto Mayor David Miller attended the protest. "Some people would be probably offended by the flag and afraid to show their support for these people, but I'm not here about politics," he said.[25] The very same day, US president Barack Obama made a statement on the Sri Lankan Civil War issue, calling apon the Sri Lankan government and the LTTE to stop the "bloodbath" and to stop the use of human-shields [26] [edit] Other Canadian citiesProtests occurred in Edmonton and Calgary. Protests and human chain rallies have taken place on January 30 in Edmonton in front of Canada Place situated on Jasper Avenue and in Calgary in front of the City Hall.[27] In Montreal, thousands of Tamils gathered in front of the UNHRC building, followed by another human chain protest. [edit] Post-civil warProtests continued after that continuously in front of the US consulate, also after Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse declared a victory over the Tamil rebels on May 17.[28] The concern was to, post-civil war, ensure "peace and better treatment of Tamil civilians."[29] Protests also continuously happened in Montreal at René Lévesque Boulevard and the US consulate in Montreal.[30] Protesters held non-stop protests, urging Prime Minister Harper, who has not yet given remarks on any protests, to make a statement on the issue and request immediate humanitarian aid to be sent to the island nation.[31] The Canadian Tamil Congress also asked for a war crime investigation by the European Union. Lawrence Cannon reflected by announcing that "Canada would work with the United States helping the United Nations deliver humanitarian aid to Sri Lanka."[32] In the meantime, Toronto's Sinhalese community launched counter-Tamil protests, insisting that they were in danger by the LTTE. Throughout the rest of 2009, the protests became smaller as attendance decreased to about two dozen at most, happening only in front of the US Consulate and University Avenue courthouse, and only during the daytime. On the 150th day, petitions were given out to protesters to sign, as they were in many other Tamil protests, and given to a guard at the US Consulate. As of October 13, 2009, the protest had reached its 173rd day.[33] [edit] Online student activismSeveral websites and groups were opened by student bodies across Canadian high schools, colleges and universities making others aware of the Sri Lankan Civil War. Numerous groups and forums were made on Facebook and Twitter alleging genocide of Tamils in Sri Lanka. Most of them were used as means of spreading notifications of upcoming protests in cities, while others were hatred groups causing racial tensions between Tamil and Sinhalese students. Sinhalese students also created corresponding groups against the Tamil protests. [edit] Impact[edit] Emergency debate NDP leader Jack Layton's call for an emergency debate on February 4 gathered all members of parliament at the House of Commons.[34][35] A few MP's, such as John McCallum and Robert Oliphant had brought up their concerns of whether the aid the government sends, which was announced to be $3 million CAD, would successfully reach the affected civilians or not. Canada's Minister of State for the Americas Peter Kent, in an argument, had suggested that there still may be local presence of LTTE extortions and funds underlying in Toronto again. Immediately, Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis assured that there were no cases of such extortions in recent times with a single phone call to a few security agencies. Kent, reflected back, saying that both the LTTE and the Sri Lankan army must drop their weapons in order for the war to end. Karygiannis stated the wish of his constituency was that the ceasefire should not be initiated by the Sri Lanka government or by the Indian government but it should be a UN initiated, internationally sponsored ceasefire. Liberal MP Irwin Cotler condemned Sri Lanka's restrictions on international humanitarian aid, journalists and media to reach the affected areas of northern Sri Lanka, which has been in place for several years. He suggested to bring forth an immediate ceasefire and begin negotiation talks. The United Nations, too, had been condemned for not taking an active part in ending the civil war. Deepak Obhrai, a Conservative MP, was the only member to label the LTTE at fault, often deviating from the agenda, and bringing up issues such as the assassination of former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.[36] Prime Minister Stephen Harper was not present for the assembly—also a matter that was much discussed during the debate. Kent, along with the Foreign Affairs Minister of Japan and the Secretary of State of the US, called on the LTTE to drop its weapons as "it may be a matter of time until they are defeated." [edit] Politicians and remarks During the non-stop protest of April in Ottawa, Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon requested the Sri Lankan Government for an immediate ceasefire. He also rejected calls of stopping all protests in Ottawa from the High Commissioner of Sri Lanka in Canada. Cannon condemned the LTTE for preventing civilians from leaving areas being attacked and using them as human shields.[37] Protesters and some general citizens of Ottawa condemned Harper for not taking initiative in the protests. Canada's Liberal Party leader Michael Ignatieff had made statements on the protests in a few occasions. On April 21, Ignatieff met with a few Tamil leaders in Ottawa to discuss the humanitarian crisis. On the occasion, he said the following:
On behalf of the Liberal Party, Ignatieff urged the Harper government to break its silence and must take initiative in condemning the violence. Ignatieff stated that there are no military solutions to the conflict and that the war must stop under a worldwide-intiative and internationally coordinated diplomatic strategy. Bev Oda and the Conservative Party of Canada both condemned the use of Tamil Tiger flags to symbolize connection with a terrorist organization.[40] Toronto Mayor David Miller and Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty also condemned the Gardiner blockade.[41] On May 13 in the United States, President Barack Obama condemned the civil war in Sri Lanka and the army's continuous shelling of safe-zones and shelters. He also condemned the LTTE's use of civilians as human shields. Obama insists that the civil war which has turned into a humanitarian crisis could result in a "full-blown catastrophe." According to him, "the United States is ready to work towards ending the conflict."[26] On June 9, 2009, Bob Rae was denied entry into Sri Lanka by Sri Lankan Immigration officials at the Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo. Although reasons for rejection were generally found unclear, the Sri Lankan government cited Rae was "a threat to national security and sympathetic to the Tamil Tigers rebel group". Rae responded that "Sri Lanka is afraid of dialogue, afraid of discussion, afraid of engagement...If this is how they treat me, imagine how they treat people who can't speak out." Rae has described Sri Lanka as 'a very dangerous place to be a journalist. "It's a very dangerous place to be any kind of Tamil right now and this is nuts." The news sparked controversy for both Rae and Sri Lanka in Canada and was on the headlines of newspapers in other countries.[42][43][44] [edit] Public reception and criticismThe protests have drawn criticism from observers of the conflict in Sri Lanka. In an opinion piece titled "Misguided Tamil protesters" published by the National Post, Martin Collacott, a former Canadian high commissioner to Sri Lanka questioned the objectives of the protesters. In the editorial, he said if the primary concern of the protesters was the safety of Tamil civilians, they would have asked the Tamil Tigers to free those trapped in the war zone instead of using them as "human shields." However by asking for a ceasefire, he said that the protesters want to "bring about a situation that would allow the Tigers to preserve their fighting capability and prolong the insurgency."[45] Following the blocking of the Gardiner Expressway on May 10, the Mayor of Toronto David Miller condemned their tactics as "wrong," and called the blocking of the expressway "unacceptable."[21][45] [edit] See also[edit] References
[edit] External links
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