stand in solidarity with the tamil people

Some of this information is outdated - the May 9 protest was two days ago - but since last night's protest by Tamil Canadians on the Gardiner Expressway has brought the issue into view for many people, I'll post it anyway. From Toronto Coalition to Stop the War:

* * * *

Call for solidarity with Tamils
End the killing in Sri Lanka now!

Dear friends:

A humanitarian catastrophe is well underway among Tamils in Sri Lanka. Since January, over 6,000 Tamils have been killed in a brutal war of aggression led by the government of Sri Lanka. Thousands more have been wounded, many of them critically. Hundreds of thousands of people have been displaced, and remain trapped in so-called "safe zones" where government forces continue to shell civilians, hospitals and schools.

These attacks are part of a decades-long campaign led by the government of Sri Lanka against the Tamil people and their culture. Since 1983, over 70,000 Tamils have been killed in this conflict, which many human rights groups warn could turn into a genocide.

Now more than ever, we need to show our support for peace and justice in Sri Lanka, and to stand in solidarity with the Tamil people.

In particular, non-Tamil allies - both individual activists and organizations - must make an extra effort to show the Tamil community that it isn't isolated. We have mobilized in large numbers for Afghans, for Iraqis, for Palestinians, for Lebanese and for Somalis.

Now it's time to mobilize for Tamils.

The Toronto Coalition to Stop the War is calling on all allies and supporters to take action now to end the killing in Sri Lanka. Please forward this message and follow the steps below to show your support.

Thank you in advance.

In solidarity,
Toronto Coalition to Stop the War

Call for solidarity with Tamils
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
ACTIONS & EVENTS:
1) City-wide rally and march: May 9
2) Sign and circulate the solidarity statement
3) Contact your Member of Parliament
4) Write letters to the editor
5) Show your support on facebook
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
1) City-wide rally and march: May 9

[details on event deleted]
Event on facebook

Download the poster here
Download the leaflet here
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
2) Sign and circulate the solidarity statement

The Canadian Peace Alliance has produced a solidarity statement, calling for an end to the attacks on the Tamil people. If your group would like to endorse this statement, please e-mail cpa@web.ca.

Stop the attacks on the Tamil people
Solidarity statement by the Canadian Peace Alliance
Please read the statement here.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
3) Contact your Member of Parliament

The Canadian Peace Alliance has produced a sample letter that you can send to your Member of Parliament. Download the letter here.

Please copy the letter and circulate to family, friends, co-workers, etc. Remember that no postage is required to send a letter to your Member of Parliament. Just mail your letter to the following address, and it's free of charge:

Member of Parliament (add your MP's name)
House of Commons
Parliament Buildings
Ottawa, Ontario
K1A 0A6
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
4) Write letters to the editor

Please take a moment to send a short letter to the editor in response to any articles you see in the media about the situation of Tamils in Sri Lanka or about the ongoing solidarity protests in Toronto and elsewhere.

Even if your letter isn't published, it sends a message to the editorial board that this is an important issue and that support is growing for the Tamil cause.

Please keep your letters short (under 200 words) and concise.

L note: this is particularly important, given people will be writing letters denouncing protests that inconvenienced them!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
5) Show your support on facebook

Join this group on facebook to show your support for peace and justice for Tamils. Please invite your friends to join too!

I’m not Tamil, but I support peace and justice for Tamils: group here.