London – A group of Sri Lankan Tamils living in the UK staged a protest in front of the Oval Stadium today (08), just before the third day of the Sri Lanka-England third Test match. The protesters called for the International Cricket Council (ICC) to ban Sri Lankan cricket, citing the country’s alleged human rights violations.
The demonstrators claimed that the Tamil community in Sri Lanka faces ongoing discrimination and human rights abuses, accusing the Sri Lankan government of committing war crimes. Displaying the official logo of the banned Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), the protesters drew attention by including small children in the protest.
According to reports from the scene, the group declared that their leader remains Velupillai Prabhakaran, the late LTTE leader, rejecting Sri Lanka’s current head of state. The protest highlights the lingering tensions within the Tamil diaspora and their continued calls for international action against Sri Lanka, including in the realm of sports.
