In Spring 2009, the civil war in Sri Lanka pitting the Sri Lankan government against the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam was all over the news. Reports of civilian deaths and human rights abuses were widely reported.

Here in Canada, home to the largest Tamil Diaspora, the Tamil community’s response was swift: marches across the country culminated in massive demonstrations in Toronto. While the actions garnered widespread coverage, there was also a backlash against organisers for disrupting traffic on a major artery in Toronto.

Either way though, our attention was grabbed. This week Dan Kellar brings us the voices of people involved in the demonstrations and their reflections on what was accomplished, and how.

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