The Cambridge Union has cancelled a scheduled speaking event featuring Namal Rajapaksa, following mounting outrage from British Tamil students this week.
In a statement sent to the Tamil Guardian on Wednesday, the Cambridge Union confirmed that the event, which had been scheduled to take place next week, would no longer go ahead. The Union said that after “urgent and serious discussions” it had decided to cancel the event, adding that it did not believe “it’s possible to have a balanced and open discussion on this subject” at the present time.
“We would like to assert in the strongest possible terms that none of our events are endorsements of, or uncritical platforms for, any speaker or their beliefs, actions, or record,” the Union added.
See the full text of the statement below.
The cancellation follows widespread condemnation from British Tamil student organisations and campaign groups, who had accused both the Cambridge Union and Oxford Union of platforming a representative of the Rajapaksa political dynasty, which they hold responsible for mass atrocities, including genocide.
Tamil student organisations across the UK had released a joint statement expressing “profound outrage and condemnation” at the invitation, calling for both events to be cancelled and for the unions to apologise to Tamil survivors of Sri Lankan state violence. They warned that hosting Rajapaksa would be “an act of profound insensitivity and a grievous insult to the Tamil people, both in our homeland and across the diaspora.”
The statement accused the Rajapaksa family of presiding over “the deliberate bombing of civilian ‘No-Fire Zones’ and hospitals”, “the systematic sexual violence used as a weapon of war”, and “the enforced disappearances of tens of thousands”, as well as the ongoing militarised occupation of Tamil lands.
Student groups further warned that if the events were allowed to proceed, protests would take place and “students and the wider community will be forced to mobilise in opposition”.
Though the event at Cambridge has been cancelled, Rajapaksa is still scheduled to speak at the Oxford Union on 25 February 2026. The Oxford Union has not responded to requests for comment.
The backlash has also drawn comparisons to 2010, when Mahinda Rajapaksa was invited to address the Oxford Union. That event was ultimately cancelled following the threat of large-scale protests by Tamil activists.
