Video: Sisira Denipitiya
British Tamils gathered in London on Sunday to protest the visit of Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) General Secretary Tilvin Silva, confronting his convoy as he arrived at an event in Wembley.
Silva was attending a programme at Alperton High School to commemorate those killed during the JVP insurrection of 1987–1989. Tamil protesters, outraged by his presence, attempted to push back his vehicle as it entered the school car park.
The car he travelled in was a newly registered Mercedes-Benz.
Chanting “Sri Lankan government, terrorist government!” and “Stop, stop genocide!”, demonstrators condemned Silva and the JVP for their long-standing hostility towards Tamil political demands and their support for the military campaign that culminated in the genocide of tens of thousands of Eelam Tamils.
The JVP, which is part of Sri Lanka’s current National People’s Power (NPP) government, vehemently opposed the 2002 ceasefire agreement and mobilised against the internationally backed peace process. In 2005, the party backed Mahinda Rajapaksa – a central architect of the Tamil genocide – in the presidential election. Throughout the years that followed, the JVP publicly pushed for a military solution to the armed struggle, advocating the all-out assault that led to mass civilian killings in the No Fire Zones.
Silva has continued to dismiss Tamil political demands. In 2024, he reiterated the JVP’s opposition to devolution and rejected the need for any meaningful political solution for the Tamil nation of the North-East.
“The 13th Amendment to the constitution and devolution are not necessary for the Tamil people,” he said. “They need a solution for their economic problems.”
He claimed Tamil politicians were using calls for autonomy to “retain their power”, adding, “The 13th Amendment is not necessary for the Tamils in the North. It is a catch-phrase that is used by many to retain their power. Devolution is not necessary. They need basic facilities.”
Silva’s visit to London and the public protest that followed highlight the continued anger among the Tamil diaspora towards the JVP’s historic role in enabling the Sinhala-dominated state’s genocidal violence and its ongoing refusal to recognise the Tamil nation’s political aspirations.