The Tamils gathered in front of the French Parliament to affirm their legal rights and demand an end to the genocide in Sri Lanka. Kurdish groups also joined in to lend their support.
The Kurdish movement in Turkey has many similarities with the situation of the Tamil Tigers in Sri Lanka. In the Sri Lanka conflict sanctions were to be imposed on military officials accused of war crimes in the 2008-2009 war, in which tens of thousands of Tamil people and guerrillas were massacred, and which has been ignored for years.
United Nation reports have implicated Sri Lankan military officials in alleged war crimes. The UN has accused Sri Lanka of causing the disappearance of thousands of Tamils. Around 40,000 Tamil civilians were killed, according to allegations.
Tamils held a demonstration in Paris to protest the attacks on Tamils in Sri Lanka. Kurdish organisations in the French capital also supported the demonstration of Tamils in front of the French parliament.
“We strongly condemn the genocide against the Tamils, which is being carried out in much the same way as the attacks on Kurds by the Turkish state. What was done in Shengal (Sinjar) and Afrin (Afrin) is an example of this genocide”, said Bêrîvan Fırat, speaking on behalf of the Kurdish Democratic Council in France (CDK-F).
The demands of Tamils include, “UN-led initiatives to take action for Militant Ambıkai Seevaratnam, who is on a death fast in England, demilitarisation of Tamil regions, end of colonisation of Tamil territories, and the release of political prisoners”.