Shivering in subzero temperatures, men and women of all ages shout slogans to stop genocide. On January 30, 2009, outside Union station in downtown Toronto, a protester holds up a photograph of a dead Tamil child with his entrails spilling out. On February 4, at the Sri Lankan consulate, another protester carries a cardboard effigy of Sri Lankan president Mahinda Rajapakse with a noose, bloodied fangs and drops of blood on his tunic.

The Tamil-Canadian community mounted one of the biggest (and most surprising) protests the country has seen in some time. Clandestinely organized, thousands suddenly appeared on Toronto's streets. Police told the Toronto Star that an estimated 45,000 Tamil-Canadians participated on January 30.