With Maaveerar Naal this week, British Tamil organisations spoke on the importance of the day and why it is commemorated.

Members of organisations including Tamil Youth Organisation UK and Tamil Coordinating Committee outlined why the day is marked, the pain felt by those who lost their loved ones, and why it is important for the youth to carry forward the Tamil liberation struggle.

Tamils in the homeland braved Sri Lankan military intimidation and court orders to join others around the world and mark Maaveerar Naal on November 27, to remember and pay tribute to the Maaveerar who sacrificed their lives in the Tamil struggle for liberation.

Politicians from all major Tamil parties commemorated Maaveerar Naal across the North-East amidst a military crackdown by the Sri Lankan state. 

See the various commemorations that took place across the homeland by politicians below.

Tamil efforts to commemorate Maaveerar Naal “puts them at the forefront of the fight against hegemony and authoritarianism” said People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL), in a statement released today condemning the “exceptionally vicious response” of the Sri Lankan security forces.

“While the heightened repression is a consequence of the strengthened authoritarian regime under Rajapaksa, this didn’t start with them,” said the group. "It is crucial to understand the structural causes, rooted in the Sinhala-Buddhist supremacist nature of the state, that enables the state to perpetrate repression and genocide - across decades and across governments.”

For the first time in decades there will be no mass gatherings across the world today, as Eelam Tamils commemorate Maaveerar Naal. In the Tamil homeland, the return of the Rajapaksas has plunged the North-East back into a familiar repression. Many will be marking the day in secret, fearing the threat of Sri Lankan military reprisals. Pandemic restrictions around the world have also meant that the well-established large scale events held by the diaspora have been moved to virtual spaces. This relative absence of public display, however, does not detract from the solemnity of this day.

Instead, the will to overcome these obstacles and commemorate the sacrifices demonstrates the tenacity of the Tamil nation.

Tamils across the homeland lit lamps and laid flowers in their homes to pay tribute to the lives lost in the Tamil struggle for liberation. 

Families held small, private commemorations in their homes as Sri Lanka has thwarted attempts to commemorate the fallen publicly by imposing court ordered bans and ramping up their surveillance and intimidation.

A crowd of Sri Lankan policemen entered the Tamil National People's Front office in Kokkuvil, Jaffna, in an attempt to bar Maaveerar Naal commemorations.

This evening Jaffna Police entered our office in Kokkuvil in an attempt to stop commemorations. pic.twitter.com/lJmqknn6Az

Parliamentarians and government ministers from the Conservative, Liberal Democrats and Labour party across the UK marked Maaveerar Naal with messages of tributes and solidarity to the Tamil community in the UK and in the Tamil homeland for those who sacrificed their lives in the Tamil struggle for freedom. Liberal Democrats leader Sir Ed Davey, Minister and Conservatives MP Paul Scully and Labour Siobhain McDonagh were among the politicians to send messages this year. 

A Tamil priest at the Bishop of Jaffna’s house who was arrested yesterday by Sri Lanka's security forces, after decorations had been set up for a private Maaveerar Naal commemoration event, has now been released on bail. 

Sri Lankan police across Batticaloa have arrested 19 people for allegedly posting birthday wishes online for Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) leader Velupillai Prabhakaran and have earmarked a further 55 people for arrest.

The police made the arrests yesterday citing the Prevention of Terrorism Act (PTA) and have strictly been monitoring and tracking all personnel across the Batticaloa district who made posts for Prabhakaran's 66th birthday or posted LTTE songs and logos.