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TORONTO — In a dramatic demonstration that caught Toronto police by surprise, several thousand flag-waving Tamil protesters swarmed onto one of Canada's busiest highways on Sunday, shutting it down in both directions for several hours and stranding thousands of unsuspecting drivers.
After marching through several major downtown streets to protest reports that at least 378 civilians had been killed in Sri Lanka's war zone, an estimated 3,000 demonstrators, some chanting "no more genocide," surged onto the Gardiner Expressway at the Spadina on-ramp.
However, minutes after midnight, the crowd began to move off the roadway to continue their protest at Queen's Park. "We have already started moving and will be out in a half hour or so," said a leader of the group, Ruby Rasalingan.
"It's very important that if we want the continued support of the police and the city we have to move off the road," Ms. Rasalingan said over a megaphone as the entire crowd fell silent for the first time since the occupation began.
While not all of the protesters were pleased to leave the highway, all of them filed out quietly. "Our point was made," said Kumar Tham. "But if nothing happens tomorrow, we'll be back again, blocking here or somewhere else."
- The Globe and Mail
*edit* I changed the picture in my entry
Edited on May 20, 2009 at 03:41 PM · View previous versions
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