Demonstrators march in front of Parliament Hill on Monday. A crowd of 25,000 has been predicted for today.Photograph by: Wayne Cuddington, The Ottawa Citizen, The Ottawa CitizenThe Tamil protest in Ottawa moves to Parliament Hill today, with tens of thousands of Tamils expected to flood into the city from Toronto and Montreal. But, significantly, the protesters have decided to leave their Tamil flags, which some associate with the Tamil Tigers, a banned terrorist group, off the Hill in an effort to encourage a direct response from the government.
"The majority of people have made a collective decision to hold their flags in their hearts and minds, and not display them publicly," Sentha Nada, a demonstrator from Toronto, said of today's demonstration on the Hill.
Federal politicians have so far kept their distance from the protesters, nervous about the optics of being associated with protesters waving a flag identified with the Tamil Tigers, labelled a terrorist group in Canada.
Leaving the flags out of today's Hill protest will give the government one less excuse to not communicate directly with the protesters, Nada said.
Estimates over the weekend had pegged the number of demonstrators expected for the demonstration at 25,000.
Demonstrators Monday did not know the exact number of people that were expected to arrive in the capital for today, but many expected people to arrive in the tens of thousands.
Seats on 50 buses leaving from Toronto Monday night were reportedly spoken for by early in the afternoon.
Tamil: Expect traffic disruptions, police warn
Buses are organized by Tamil community groups, and people are also making the trip in their own vehicles.
The protest, now in its third week, has seen Tamil Canadians gather across from Parliament Hill to raise awareness of the ongoing civil war in Sri Lanka. Many worry for their friends and family in Sri Lanka as the conflict between the Sri Lankan government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam continues.
The protesters first called for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka.
On Sunday, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon issued a statement calling for "a resumption of the humanitarian pause" and for both parties in the conflict to work on a quick resolution.
"Canada calls on the LTTE to discuss with the government of Sri Lanka the terms for ending hostilities, including the renunciation of violence, the laying down of arms, and acceptance of the government of Sri Lanka's offer of amnesty, as the first step toward an inclusive political dialogue that can contribute to a lasting peace," he said.
Earlier this month, Cannon called on Sri Lanka to halt its military offensive against Tamil rebels to allow civilians to escape. Protesters have since called on Prime Minister Stephen Harper to take further action.
In addition to the ceasefire, protesters would also like to see the federal government impose political sanctions as well as trade and arms embargoes. Protesters would also like to see Canada remove its high commissioner to Sri Lanka from Colombo.
With Parliament in session again today, protesters expect that more people will make an effort to be there.
"It looks like the majority of the Tamil people will be in the capital," said Shyanthy Thevarajah, 24, a University of Toronto student who, as of Monday, had been part of the protest for seven days.
In the first days of the demonstration, downtown rush-hour traffic was snarled, and streets were closed as the protesters spilled into the road when their numbers grew too large to fit on the sidewalks.
Police have cautioned Ottawa residents that traffic disruptions are expected today. There are no planned road closures as of yet, but commuters are advised to avoid the area if possible.
"We've made all our preparations; we're ready for anything," said Const. Alain Boucher of the Ottawa police. For security reasons, Boucher said he could not say how many officers will be available to work the demonstration tomorrow.
"We're monitoring the situation and we're adjusting our resources as the events unfold," he said.
The RCMP will be similarly assessing and addressing the protest and resources needed as today unfolds, an RCMP spokeswoman said Monday.
Parking restrictions will begin overnight near Parliament Hill, and police advise those used to parking in the area to park a few blocks further away than usual and walk from there.
Parking will be restricted on both sides of Kent Street between Laurier and Wellington streets; both sides of Bank Street between Laurier and Wellington streets; and on Metcalfe Street between Queen and Wellington streets to allow for emergency vehicles access to Parliament Hill.
OC Transpo, which had rerouted buses that run along Wellington Street in the early days of the demonstration when traffic was most disrupted, has plans it will follow if road closures occur.
"Traffic situations evolve depending on which roads might be closed," city spokesman Barre Campbell wrote in an e-mail to the Citizen. "As situations occur, OC Transpo makes adjustments to its routes, and provides this information to members of the public through the OC Transpo information line (613-741-4390)."
People traffic on Parliament Hill may also be affected, depending on how the protest goes. A memo sent out Monday to MPs, their staffs and others who work on the Hill advised that the protest may cause disruptions in access to buildings on the Hill.
"In the event of a traffic disruption on Wellington Street or surrounding roadways, Ottawa police will be ensuring access to the parliamentary precinct via Kent Street," the memo said. "The Metcalfe Gate will be closed during this period. The shuttle bus service may also be affected."
Access points will be open in the crowd control barriers for those who need to access the Parliament Buildings.
The protesters do not intend to disrupt traffic or movement in the city.
"The overall intention behind this protest is not to disrupt anybody's lifestyle," Thevarajah said.
One event that has already been affected by the demonstration by the Tamils is the National Holocaust Remembrance Commemoration that was scheduled for this afternoon on Parliament Hill. The 3 p.m. ceremony has been switched to LeBreton Flats, next to the Canadian War Museum where about 1,000 people, including MPs and hundreds of visitors from Montreal and Toronto are expected to attend.
"We were requested by the RCMP because of the large demonstrations that is going to be taking place on Parliament Hill by the Tamils that for safety reasons we should move our ceremony off-site," said Gillian Weintraub, national events manager for the Canadian Society for Yad Vashem, which is organizing in conjunction with other Jewish groups.
She said for the past five years the wreath-laying ceremony which honours Holocaust survivors has taken place on the steps in front of Centre Block, but this is the first time it's moving to a different venue.
Laura Denker, a publicist for BC Scene, said she is hoping that a planned tour of area art galleries that begins tonight will not be affected by the demonstrations by the Tamils on Parliament Hill.
"We're working under the same sort of supposition as everyone else, which is that it's going to make traffic very difficult," said Denker.
The free Gallery Crawl begins at 6 p.m. tonight and four school buses will shuttle people from the National Arts to Ottawa and Gatineau art galleries to check out the works of BC artists. It's one of the kickoff events of BC Scene, a 13-day festival sponsored by the NAC to showcase British Columbia culture.
"At this stage yet we're not planning to alter our routes or significantly alter our plans," said Denker, adding she's hoping that the downtown traffic will be restored by the time the Gallery Crawl begins.
On Monday, Tamil Tigers vowed to fight to the death after the army gave them 24 hours to surrender. The Sri Lankan government claimed to have freed a third of the 100,000 civilians trapped with the rebels in a "no-fire" zone.
Over the weekend, nearly 3,000 civilians were reported to have escaped from Sri Lanka's northeast war zone and sought shelter with government forces. The UN estimates as many as 100,000 civilians are trapped in "dire humanitarian conditions."© Copyright (c) The Ottawa Citizen