We’re here. We’re Tamil. Get used to it
After six months of relentless protesting, Toronto Tamils have become a serious political force. How a 20-year-old kid from Scarborough helped mobilize a generation By Richard Poplak
The war is over, long live the war: Sivasanka
Vimalachandran vows he'll continue to press
the Tamil cause
Image credit: Daniel Ehrenworth
On May 22, the day Tamils called Black Friday, Sivasanka Vimalachandran stood on a makeshift stage at Queen’s Park gazing out at a constellation of mourners, many of them wailing in grief. Ten thousand people held candles in the air, the flames shielded from the wind by smouldering Tim Hortons cups. The war for the independence of Tamil Eelam, the northern hump of the contested island of Sri Lanka, had been lost after 26 years of conflict. This was less a vigil and more a funeral for friends and relatives who had died 14,000 kilometres away.
The nuances of the gathering were lost on motorists driving home that evening, confronted by another series of road closures along University Avenue. The Tamil protests, which had ramped up in early April in response to the intensifying conflict in Sri Lanka, peaked with the Mother’s Day storming of the Gardiner Expressway, delaying traffic for more than six hours and inspiring a slew of enraged fulminations on call-in radio shows. For many Torontonians, the Tamils’ signature red flag—decorated with bullets and guns and an angry feline—was not only an unambiguous emblem of violence, but also a sure sign that they would be late for dinner. Now, with the fighting in Sri Lanka drawing to a close and the protests waning, most of the city’s commuters found their main questions still unanswered: How had these people managed to take our streets in such numbers? And what did they want from us?
Vimalachandran, all of 20 years old, is acutely aware of these questions. For the past six months, he has been desperately trying to raise the profile of the Tamil plight. On Black Friday, he stood before the crowd at Queen’s Park and reminded them that until the historical grievances of the Tamil minority in Sri Lanka were addressed, “there will never be any peace on that island.” Half an hour later, a silent mass streamed down University toward the U.S. consulate.
That day, Vimalachandran would later tell me, was not only a day of mourning; it was also a statement that the war was not over. “It is a new dawn for us Tamils,” he said.
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I believe that the majority of Canadians really don't care about Sri Lanka, much less the Tamils. The more they inconvenience us, the less sympathy we will have for them. If the Tamils here do not like what is happening in their old country, perhaps they should go there themselves and try to do something about it.
July 23, 2009 | by TFG1007Hmmm...well, after 36 hours since my first post, it does seem that nobody really cares.
July 24, 2009 | by TFG1007Sorry, Sivasanka Vimalachandran, but maybe you should pick up and take your protests elsewhere.
As a non-Tamil Canadian, there is something that confuses me about the entire series of Tamil protests: why were some protesters permitted to wave the flag of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) (a.k.a. the Tamil Tigers)?
Canada has designated LTTE as a terrorist organization; it is on the same government "threat" list as Al Qaida. Not only is LTTE known for its use of child soldiers, it is also infamous for its civilian massacres, suicide bombings, and assassination of political figures.
The Canadian authorities' lack of action gives the impression that they either don't understand the laws that govern this country or they apply them arbitrarily. Can you imagine an Afghan protest with a few flag-waving Al Qaida supporters being allowed to repeatedly stop traffic to raise awareness for their cause?
Most of the Tamil protesters had their heart in the right place, but it infuriates me to see someone like Vimalachandran draped in the LTTE flag and being hailed as a person who is beneficial to this country.
July 24, 2009 | by kmolitorto TFG1007: we believe in freedom of expression do you?, BTW Canada is known for Human rights protections, we Tamils protested based on that fundamentals. you Sir seems typical Canadian who doesn't give a s*** about whats happening around the world. we Tamils lives in Canada, and we have the rights as much as you do. what we were trying to do is trying to send message to the Canadians and the Government about the Tamils struggle.
to kmolitor: please go read some facts about that flag, that flag isn't Tamil tigers, its Tamil national flag, there are huge difference between them. BTW can you bring "Facts" about tigers' civilian massacres. is it because of LTTE you are ignoring the facts that Srilankan government slaughtered innocent Tamils???
June 12, 2010 | by Arul_M