500 people protested in Switzerland against forgetting the genocide against the Tamils ​​in Sri Lanka in 2009. They condemn the silence of the United Nations on this genocide and the oppression of the Tamils ​​that continues to this day.

On Monday, September 14, a protest by Eelam Tamils ​​took place in Geneva. The start was a demonstration that led through the city to the United Nations headquarters in Switzerland. Around 500 people took part in the demonstration and the subsequent rally in front of the UN. The reason for the demo and rally was a conference at the United Nations that discussed the situation of the Eelam Tamils ​​in Sri Lanka.

The 2009 Mullivaikkal massacre

To this day, many people are traumatized by the massacres in their homeland and many find it difficult to talk about the events, especially the Mullivaikkalmassker in 2009. In this genocide, 70,000 Tamils ​​were murdered and over 150,000 are still missing today. So while families are still searching for their loved ones, new mass graves continue to appear.

Eelam Tamil diaspora protests in Brussels against forgetting the genocide in Sri Lanka

In addition, the Eelam Tamil guerrilla, the Liberation Tigers of Tamil-Eelam (LTTE), was militarily defeated in the Mullivaikkal massacre. The LTTE was a guerrilla army that fought for the independence of the Tamil areas of Sri Lanka. But their resistance was also directed against the widespread caste system, patriarchal violence and the oppression of women. There were also women's units within the LTTE.

Since then, the oppression of the Eelam Tamils ​​has continued. Through land grabbing, the desecration of Eelam Tamil memorials and ongoing interrogations about possible LTTE activities. “This creates a climate of fear that leads many Eelam Tamils ​​to remain silent about the 2009 genocide, even to their own children,” said an activist from the Tamil Youth Organization (TYO). She continued: “It is all the more important that the Eelam-Tamil youth in the diaspora raise their voices to condemn the genocide of their people, but also the silence of the international community.”

Criticism from an internationalist and Kurdish perspective

Kurds and internationalists pointed out that the German government also plays an inglorious role and criminalizes Eelam Tamil events by banning the Eelam Tamil national flag. This ban has existed in the Federal Republic of Germany since 2021. “It is a liberating feeling to be able to show the Eelam Tamil flag publicly in Switzerland,” said an activist from the Kurdish movement who took part in the action. The basis of the ban is the claim that the flag is the symbol of the LTTE, which is listed as a terrorist organization in Germany.

German imperialism and the Tamil liberation movement

Tamil youth raise their voices

It was clear, especially through combative speeches and slogans, that the Eelam-Tamil youth in Europe do not leave the reality of the oppression of their people in their homeland unchallenged. The protest was loud and TYO representatives from all over Europe gave speeches.

The various topics were discussed in detail in speeches in Tamil, English, French and German. Most of the speeches were delivered by TYO activists, highlighting the pioneering role of Eelam Tamil youth in the protests.

The TYO is the Eelam Tamil youth organization that, in addition to the political concerns of Eelam Tamils, also works to preserve the Eelam Tamil language and culture. Finally, the rally ended with the lowering of the Eelam Tamil national flag.

The postTamil diaspora protests against UN silence in Genevaappeared firstperspective.