The Tamil Eelam flag was projected on to the iconic Tower of London, as well as other landmarks across the capital on Friday evening, as British Tamils paid tribute to those who gave their lives in the Tamil liberation struggle in the build up to Maaveerar Naal.
The projection lit up the historic monument in Central London, with an image of the flag and the words “'Tamils remember the heroes who fought for our freedom”. Amongst the other images displayed on the tower were the tombstone of a fallen fighter and a Karthigaipoo, the national flower of Tamil Eelam.
“This is another way in which we pay tribute to our maaveerar,” said Durga*, a British Tamil activist who helped organise the display.
“Though the Sri Lankan state may have tried to destroyed those graves, we will make sure their images are projected in cities around the world. We will never forget them.”
“It’s a symbol of our resistance,” said Kausalyan*, another activist involved in the display, who also thanked officials who helped make the projection possible this year. “With their help, we are able to let the world see our tribute to those who have their lives for Tamil Eelam.”
A similar tribute was also projected by the London Eye, a famous landmark in Embankment and opposite St Paul's Cathedral.
In 2020, a similar projection was organised on to Britain's Houses of Parliament in Westminster, Central London. Sri Lanka reacted angrily to the tribute, with the government raising their “displeasure” with the British High Commissioner at the time.
Read more: UK Houses of Parliament lit with Karthigaipoo to mark Maaveerar Naal
This is not the first tribute to the war dead to take place at the Tower of London.
In 2014, the Tower of London marked the centenary of the outbreak of The First World War (WWI) with the commemorative art installation Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, which saw the moat filled with thousands of ceramic poppies.
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* Names changed on request to protect identities and safeguard families in the North-East.