Wed Feb. 04 2009 9:24:05 PM
Midtown intersection shut down by protesters
Web Staff, cp24.com
People clog St. Clair Avenue near Yonge Street Wednesday afternoon.
A midtown intersection was shut down by protesters outside of the Sri Lankan Consulate near Yonge Street and St. Clair Avenue Wednesday during the evening rush hour.
The intersection was closed and severe traffic delays were being reported in the area as members of Toronto's Tamil community held a candlelight vigil on the same day Sri Lanka celebrates its Independence Day.
The crowd wanted to draw attention to the amount of people who have been killed in Sri Lanka in fighting between rebels and the Sri Lankan government, and they want the Canadian government to provide aid to the region.
People chanted "Help us," "Justice for all" and "Stop the war."
Rebels in Sri Lanka have been fighting a civil war since 1983 for a separate country for the Tamil minority on this island off the southern coast of India.
With files from The Associated Press
Protest Ends After Huge Crowds Mob St. Clair And Yonge In New Sri Lankan Demo
It happened again. For the second time in a week, a huge crowd of Sri Lankan protestors gathered at a major Toronto intersection, protesting what they call genocide in their homeland.
A crowd estimated to be between 1,500 and 2,500 showed up outside the country's consulate at Yonge and St. Clair around 5pm, throwing the bustling intersection into chaos at the height of rush hour.
Police were forced to bring in fencing to contain the crowd, which just kept getting bigger.
Traffic was a disaster but the protest remained peaceful throughout.
The candlelight ceremony was being held to mark the country's Independence Day and organizers have called it a Day of Mourning. Similar gatherings were held across the country but with the GTA home to 200,000 Sri Lankans, this city's was amongst the largest.
The government and rebels have been locked in an ongoing war that has left hundreds of civilians dead or living in terrible conditions.
"I'm a Canadian who's affected by it," insisted Neethan Shan. "I can't eat well, I can't work well, I'm being distracted by this news of genocide that's coming from Sri Lanka."
"It's up to us Tamils to show what is happening back home," added Mathury Selvachandran.
The new protest follows last week's incredible human chain demonstration that stretched from Bloor St. down both University and Yonge, all the way to Front.
So many people showed up at Union Station to make their point that authorities were forced to close off the entire street for several hours.
Just like in that sea of humanity, the tide turned as promised around 7:30pm and the crowd began to disperse without incident.
Photos by Aaron Miller, CityNews.ca
http://www.citynews.ca/news/news_31842.aspx