Photo credit: Ninaivukal.
QUEEN’S PARK PROTESTS
Many of the protests to raise awareness on the genocide and call for action took place at Queen’s Park in Toronto. This location became a significant and continuous site for marches, demonstrations, hunger strikes, and vigils. Protestors would occupy the legislative lawn in hopes for the Canadian government to take action through economic sanctions and humanitarian relief. While protests were generally peaceful, police presence gradually became larger as protests continued for months.
One notable Queen’s Park protest occurred on May 13th, 2009 when thousands of Tamil Canadians staged a peaceful protest at the Ontario legislature as the conflict was escalating and civilian deaths were rapidly increasing. The protests began at Queen’s Park followed by a march through several downtown streets and later returned to the legislature lawn.
Queen’s Park was also home to many vigils, notably on May 22nd, 2009 where over 10,000 Tamils dressed in black gathered at the legislature lawn to mourn the loss of tens of thousands of Tamils during the genocide.