Tamil protest day 6
Rosalba Dean | 12.04.2009 00:22 | Anti-racism | Globalisation | Terror War
The march was attended by 200.000 people or more, that is at least a third of the Tamils living in the UK. They are asking for an end to the genocide in Sri Lanka and a permanent ceasefire, and aid, aid workers, human rights observers and journalists to be allowed in the war zone. 271 Tamil people were slaughtered yesterday alone and up to 4000 in the last 6 weeks. All the Tamils living in UK have friends and relatives there, many had family members killed. Use of chemical weapons (prohibited by international law) have been documented.
What I don't quite understand is why there are such low numbers of white and non-Tamil people supporting. There were a few activists, a small samba band, a banner from Stop the War coalition, a few socialists selling papers (not SWP) and hardly anybody else. Being White I felt I could stick out like a spot of domino. Please enlighten me: if thousands of people took part in the protests against the massacres in Gaza (and they did very well), why aren't them equally concerned about what is happening in Vanni, which is much, but much worst than the horrors that happened in Gaza - just look at the numbers, and the Sri Lankan army appear to be bent on the wholesale genocide of the Tamil population in the area.
Hungerstrike update: one of the hungerstrikers has suspended the hungerstrike for ten days, in order to go to the USA with a delegation, he went and spoke to the rally - or to be more precise he was taken to the rally on a wheelchair; the other man is still on hunger strike but taking liquids since yesterday, he is very weak and lying down most of the time, still under a makeshift plastic cover that lets the rain in, because the police won't allow him to have a tent (shame on them!). Several youths are doing a fast in solidarity, but not a full hungerstrike.
Leaving Parliament Square around 12 midnight (beginning of day 7!) there were about 300 people there. The police have been trying to bring down the numbers to 200 since Tuesday. The protest is now lawful as the police have allowed it, however they are trying to contain it by putting metal barriers. They have surrounded the grass with barriers and are trying to prevent people in excess to 200 to get to the square - with scarce success. They do not need to worry, as the protest is going to move soon to Marks & Spencer and Primark, main investors in cheap labour in Sri Lanka (hundred of thousands of teenage girls hooked to the sewing machine for up to 16 hours and $ 2 a day). It is rumored that about half of the clothes sold by Marks and Spencer are produced in Sri Lanka. The news have already been leaked to the press and all, moving the protest to M&S will keep media interest going, and it will nicely shake up the markets by scaring shareholders.
So if you want to do something seriously anti-capitalist and anti-war go and support!?!!
Hungerstrike update: one of the hungerstrikers has suspended the hungerstrike for ten days, in order to go to the USA with a delegation, he went and spoke to the rally - or to be more precise he was taken to the rally on a wheelchair; the other man is still on hunger strike but taking liquids since yesterday, he is very weak and lying down most of the time, still under a makeshift plastic cover that lets the rain in, because the police won't allow him to have a tent (shame on them!). Several youths are doing a fast in solidarity, but not a full hungerstrike.
Leaving Parliament Square around 12 midnight (beginning of day 7!) there were about 300 people there. The police have been trying to bring down the numbers to 200 since Tuesday. The protest is now lawful as the police have allowed it, however they are trying to contain it by putting metal barriers. They have surrounded the grass with barriers and are trying to prevent people in excess to 200 to get to the square - with scarce success. They do not need to worry, as the protest is going to move soon to Marks & Spencer and Primark, main investors in cheap labour in Sri Lanka (hundred of thousands of teenage girls hooked to the sewing machine for up to 16 hours and $ 2 a day). It is rumored that about half of the clothes sold by Marks and Spencer are produced in Sri Lanka. The news have already been leaked to the press and all, moving the protest to M&S will keep media interest going, and it will nicely shake up the markets by scaring shareholders.
So if you want to do something seriously anti-capitalist and anti-war go and support!?!!
Rosalba Dean
e-mail:
rosalbadean@googlemail.com
Comments
Hide the following 4 comments
The media on the hunger strike and protests
12.04.2009 00:59
Independent first page 10th April. Actually quite a good article.
Instead, from looking at the Independent website there seems to be nothing today about 200.000 Tamils marching in central London. Not much to be found anywhere about the situation in Sri Lanka, until the latest protests in Parliament and the occupation of Westminster Bridge. Shameful silence from the BBC (British Bullshitting Corporation).
newsreader
BBC coverage under "London" heading
12.04.2009 04:45
But maybe part of the problem is a lack of embedded camera ops, also a lack of translated media compared with for Arabic.
onlyme
Many Factors Involved
12.04.2009 06:48
Is it possible that both the Tamil people, Sri Lankan People and the rest of the world are all being targetted by psycholical warfare methods? Who are the Tamil Tigers? What have they really achieved for the Tamil people? What are the real motives of the Sri Lankan government?
Is it possible that ALL governents and political organisations have been infiltrated by globalist agents and are being operated as "controlled" opposition? If you look closely, there is evidence to suggest that "the economic crisis", "the war on terror" and the assault on Gaza by Israel, along with many other crimes against humanity being carried out around the world are all connected in some way.
It is my profound belief that the real war is between those in power and the ordinary people around the world who simply wish to live in peace. I also believe that these events are staged to create stress and a state of "cognitive disonnance" in the collective psyche.
This is the first stage in mass indoctrination and brainwashing techniques.
During the second world war, the TAVISTOCK INSTITUTE was tasked with drawing up plans to break the will of the German people... the final product was the carpet bombing of civilian areas, rather than military targets. After the war, certain people realised that the same psychological effects could be produced in this and many other ways. We are experiencing those strategies and tactics now.
They are trying to wear people down and make them more pliant and obedient. In many ways they seem to be succeeding. We need to change our focus and concentrate on things we can change, rather than wasting time on things we can only demonstrate and shout about.
The real achilles heel of the globalist state system is the economy and taxation. Without taxation they could not build armies to use against civilians. Do not give too much athority to any politica organisations that we may be members of. Poltical movements are more effective that organisations, as they are more difficult to penetrate and control by the intelligence services.
Whatever you do... don't let them get yer down!
All the best,
Little John
Little John
In solidarity
12.04.2009 12:57
As you say, the protests for Gaza were attended by lots of non-Palestinians, but the same people have not turned out for the Tamils. However the two are very easily linked:
1. Both situations result from actions of the Britain, which was responsible for creating the Zionist state of Israel and for artificially combining the two previously separate nations in Sri Lanka and all that flowed from it.
2. Among the biggest arms suppliers to Sri Lanka today are Britain and Israel.
3. M&S has been supportive or and trading with Israel for many years and this is well-documented. FRFI has been demonstrating, with others, outside M&S branches around the country since 2000. We would be delighted to work with supporters of the Tamil people's struggle against British corporations' involvement in bloodshed.
FRFI activist
Homepage:
http://www.revolutionarycommunist.org