(LTTE), are one of the best known terrorist groups in the world, having invented the suicide bomb belt and murdered top Indian politicians such as Rajiv Gandhi. 32 countries ban the LTTE as a terrorist organization, including Britain. Yet today, as part of an effort to coerce the British government into siding with the Tigers against the Sri Lankan government, thousands of Tamil Tigers demonstrators beseiged central London, with a thousand of them occupying and blocking London Bridge. Only four persons were arrested. There are threats of mass jumping into the Thames, and boats stand by to rescue them.
Police and protesters have clashed at the Houses of Parliament today as thousands of Tamils lay siege to the centre of London.
Rescue boats have also been put on alert amid fears the protesters—flying the flag of the terrorist Tamil Tigers—may leap en masse from Westminster Bridge if they are not allowed to speak to Gordon Brown.
There were four arrests today as the protesters were hemmed in by more than 100 officers.
Police were caught off guard by the surprise demonstration after organisers used their mobile phones to alert thousands of supporters by text message.
One man jumped off the bridge yesterday evening after up to 5,000 protesters converged on Parliament yesterday afternoon to protest over the Sri Lankan government’s offensive against the rebels.
Rescuers plucked the man, thought to be from Mitcham, South London, after he jumped in at about 6pm. He was taken to hospital and police believe his condition is not serious.
Four RNLI lifeboats are on standby in the river after threats that other demonstrators—illegally occupying the bridge—may also throw themselves into the water.
During the night a rump of 900 blocked the bridge—including women and children sleeping in sheets and blankets.
Police were forced to close several nearby roads and commuters face severe rush-hour congestion this morning.
Organisers of the demonstration failed to give notice—required by law—and protesters have been carrying the emblem of the Tamil Tigers, banned in the UK and the EU as a terrorist organisation. But there have been no arrests so far, Scotland Yard said.
A police spokeswoman added: ‘Police are continuing to attempt to negotiate with the organisers of the demonstration to facilitate their protest and to minimise disruption to all of London’s communities.’
Sri Lanka has rejected international calls for a ceasefire, claiming it is on the verge of defeating the separatists Tamil Tigers.
The London protesters accuse the government there of human rights abuses and say the lives of thousands of civilians in Sri Lanka’s northern Mullaithivu district are in danger.
Up to 150,000 people are trapped in the war zone, according to UN estimates.
Vijay Mahalingam, 28, of Harrow, said the conflict had been ignored at last week’s G20 conference in London.
‘We are here to call on the British government and other governments of the world to wake up to the problems in our homeland Sri Lanka,’ he said.
‘Members of my family, some of our grandparents, are stuck in an area in the north-east of Sri Lanka which has been bombed intensively for the last two months.’
He added: ‘There is no media except the state media so we have no real way of knowing exactly what is going on. There is no phone contact and every day we just hope they have not been harmed.’
Westminster Bridge remained close this morning, with police vans and lines of officers on either side.
The protest continues into the night as demonstrators called for international action to stop the ‘genocide’ in Sri Lanka
Several hundred demonstrators were blocking the road, some playing drums, chanting and holding banners saying: ‘Help now!’
Many of the protesters had brought sheets and sleeping bags to spend the night outside.
One, who did not wish to be named, said they would stay ‘as long as it takes’.
‘We will stay until we have an answer from Gordon Brown,’ she said.
‘Our relatives are dying out there and so we will stay here.
‘The police tried to move us on in the night, but they couldn’t.’