British Tamils gathered outside Downing Street, London, to mark 40 years since the 1983 anti-Tamil pogrom, commonly referred to as 'Black July'. 

Tamils held placards that read 'Hold Sri Lanka accountable for the crime of genocide' . They also chanted ' Black July, Black July - systematic genocide!' 

The Union Jack and the Tamil Eelam flag were hoisted after a lamp was lit to remember the victims of the violence perpetrated against Tamils. 

A flame was lit to remember the thousands of Tamils that were killed during Black July before the Union Jack and the Tamil Eelam flag were raised. pic.twitter.com/b6b3a42RIR

— Tamil Guardian (@TamilGuardian) July 23, 2023

"The horrors of 1983 resulted in over 5,000 Tamil businesses to be destroyed by the Sri Lankan military and individuals. Consequently, hundreds of thousands of Tamils lost their livelihoods and lost their reconomic stance in society. More than 8,000 Tamil homes were destroyed."

"Many Tamils were forced out to rebuild their lives in foreign countries with very little reseurces and little knowledge of language," she added. 

There were a series of performances including a dramatisation detailing the atrocities that took place during 1983. 

Mr Selva from the Tamil Coordinating Committee (TCC) said that “to this day, 40 years after Black July, we are being wiped out from our homeland.” He went on to highlight the ongoing Sinhalisation of the North-East, particularly the building of Buddhist viharas in Tamil areas.

"We must continue to protest. We must protest everyday for our freedom," he added. 

"We are the ones who have been attacked, we are the ones who have the pain, therefore we must be the ones who decide our future. We cannot let the international community tell us what to accept," Mr Sleva said.