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Misinformation
Alright, I get it.
The protest started out legally and was, in every sense, necessary. But you need to understand the following.
Many Canadians were sympathetic to your cause, which is not genocide but a civil war, but as soon as members of your protest ASSAULTED police officers blocking them from the Gardiner Expressway on ramp it turned into an ILLEGAL terrorist act.
The police stopped traffic because the officers at the on ramp were being over thrown. The man that was beaten down was given that treatment because he was DISOBEYING the basic laws of road/highway safety.
Those laws are there to make sure nobody gets hurt, everyone who went up there is VERY, I repeat VERY, lucky that the police shut down the highway. There would have been masses of accidents because civilians ON FOOT were running onto a highway.
Your cause is justified when you block a major street, but holding a major transport route hostage and costing everyone (including yourselves) lots of money for policing is ignorant and nothing short of stupid.
I am not labelling the entire Tamil protest group as terrorists, and I have now heard the Nelson Mandela point WAY too many times to care anymore, but if you disobey the law then the police have the right to take action. Whether it is beating down a man who is refusing to LISTEN and OBEY police orders, or stepping up their presence because they view all Tamil protests as dangerous to public safety. I know that the protesters are mostly peaceful and full of regular Canadian citizens and families, but you cannot think that breaking onto a highway is going to help anything. Don't protest infront of Queen's Park on a sunday when no parliament is in session and expect a response. I applaud that there has been a talk to stop people from waving the Tamil Tigers flag from the high-ups, most people did not think this to be a problem until ILLEGAL actions were taken.
The protesters outstepped their boundaries when they WALKED onto a HIGHWAY. I think the police should have detained the people responsible for thinking that blocking a highway will make people and the Canadian government sympathetic.
You cannot say that this wasn't an act of terrorism, I heard an organizer quite clearly when he said: "We will not move until a representative from the Canadian government comes down here to address this crowd" - that sounds like a terrorist demand to me. You can say it was a passive protest but as soon as someone threw a bike at a cop as well as other objects from the crowd it turned into a mob of people acting like they broke through the border and were running to freedom.
This is not how you get your cause noticed and respected and I am ashamed to think that I was going to support your cause at one point.
Please do not disrupt our city for the CIVIL WAR collateral damage that is happening to your families, get everyone to lay down their weapons and all will be well.
CIVIL WAR is NOT GENOCIDE.
I understand everyone is frustrated because their families are in one of the most dangerous areas to be in today. I would be freaking out too, but common sense needs to still take part in protests. I have never had to go through anything like most of the Tamils have and I hope I never have to experience what your families are going through back home. But please think things through before turning a peaceful protest into an act of mob terrorism.
I heard about the peaceful actions and politeness of the people once they were on the Gardiner and how they cleaned up after themselves but this still does not excuse the initial action of FORCING their way up the ramp. It was no longer a protest but an angry mob. And no matter what anyone says, that is not acceptable in the least ESPECIALLY when WOMEN and CHILDREN are in the crowds.
My heartfelt condolences go to you and your families, but do not take advantage of Canadian citizens and their generosity if you expect a community response from outside your own.