for the past few days, police have been intimidating and threatening protestors in parliament square for waving the tamil eelam (homeland) national flag.

this afternoon, a chief inspector was quoted as saying that anyone waving the flag would be photographed and arrested as they leave the square. they would then be "banned forever".

peace activist, maria gallestegui, who founded the peacestrike organisation, and who has also been a long-standing supporter of brian haw's peace campaign, decided to test the lawfulness of the police threats this evening.

after researching the law around the flag, she, and other tamil protestors, are convinced that that the tamil eelam flag can not be illegal.

the LTTE tamil liberation fighters are a 'proscribed' group under terrorist law, and displaying their flag can be interpreted as supporting a terrorist organisation in our orwellian legal system. (don't forget that nelson mandela was once labelled a terrorist by british authorities and now his statue watches over the current dispute from the corner of the square). however, the tamil eelam flag, while using part of the LTTE artwork, does not include the name of the organisation, and has a distinctive red background. it is the flag of a race of people and a homeland, and is not a symbol of the military struggle. it is not a flag of the LTTE.

so maria waved the tamil flag at the front of the square, and was warned she may be arrested. she was happy to give her details, and asked what would happen next. she was told "you might get a summons". she gave her phone number, just in case.

what actually happened was that the police seized the eelam flag from her, but did not arrest her (or indeed ban her forever from the square). she asked on what basis the seizure was made, and was told it was under terrorism laws. she asked for a receipt or some other paperwork as record of the seizure. her requests were refused.

it seems clear that police have been told to clamp down on the tamil protest, but that they also know that their flag ban would not hold up in court. so they just seize, with no lawful excuse. this is similar to the many times that campaigner barbara tucker has had her megaphone ripped away from her, damaged or stolen, and yet has never been successfully prosecuted for unauthorised use.

the official mainstream view of the conflict in sri lanka is that the tamil terrorists have been defeated, the problem is over, and the sooner we forget about it the better. the is a huge international lie.

the tamils know that genocide has occured, that more than a quarter of a million civilians are currently held in facilities that are little different from concentration camps, that women and children are still being slaughtered, that tens of thousands with serious injuries are still dying for lack of medical facilities, and that independent scrutiny, aid, medical supplies, and media are all effectively banned from the area.

the determined and peaceful protest outside parliament is a constant reminder of the big international lie, and the clampdown on flag-waving is just part of a concerted policy of repression, along with recent beatings of women and children while clearing peaceful road occupations.

daily updated reports from the tamil protest can be found in the london indymedia article at  http://london.indymedia.org.uk/articles/1421