Photographs Tamil Guardian

Thousands of Tamils gathered in London to mark the 5 year anniversary of the end of the armed conflict where tens of thousands of Tamils were killed.

Crowds lay flowers as tribute to those killed

The event began with the hoisting of the Tamil Eelam flag, followed by Ahavanakkam, the tributary silence in remembrance of all the lives lost in the Tamil struggle.

The first speaker of the evening was Labour MP and member of the shadow cabinet, Barry Gardiner. After reading a statement from Labour leader Ed Miliband, Mr Gardiner expressed his view that "what we saw in Mullivaikaal was simply genocide". Following a group performance of traditional Tamil drums 'Parai', Conservative MP Lee Scott addressed the crowds. Mr Scott stressed the importance of achieving justice for the atrocities committed by the Sri Lankan state.

Tributary flame lit by daughter of a Maveerar

Mr Rudrakumaran, the leader of the Transnational Government of Tamil Eelam gave a video address. Labour MP, Gareth Thomas, describing his own experiences of working with Tamil torture victims in his constituency office pledged to continue shining the spotlight on war crimes committed by Sri Lanka.

Raising of Tamil Eelam flag

A play depicting the grief of survivors of the Mullivaikaal massacre was performed by members of the community. Referring to the military ban on commemorating the massacre in the Tamil homeland, Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes MP said "it is unacceptable that Tamils are not allowed to mourn". Hugo Charlton, former chair of the Green Party, condemned the sexual violence perpetrated against Tamils during and in the years after the massacre.

Bharathanatyam dance performance

After a Bharathanatyam dance performance in tribute to those massacred in Mullivaikaal, Shivani Jegarajah, barrister at Mansfield Chambers said that the Sri Lankan government was trying to cut ties between the Tamil homeland and diaspora. Referring to the proscription of several diaspora organisations by the Sri Lankan government, Ms Jegarajah stated that Tamils are not considered terrorists anywhere except in Sri Lanka.

An emotional recital of a poem entitled 'the Suffering continues' was followed by a reflection on the 5 years since Mullivaikaal, in an address by British Tamils Forum coordinator Mr Ravi Kumar. The final act of the evening was a dramatic sketch by school children, calling on the crowd to speak out about the violence against Tamils in Sri Lanka.