Yohani’s London show met with protests outside venue

British Tamils gathered in central London last week, to protest against a performance by Sri Lankan singer Yohani, condemning her history of supporting war criminals responsible for the genocide of Tamil civilians. 

The protest was held outside the Harley Lounge, a Tamil-owned venue that hosted the event despite Yohani’s documented praise for Sri Lankan war criminals, including her father, Major General Prasanna De Silva. Protesters held placards and chanted slogans denouncing the decision to allow her to perform in London, highlighting her ties to individuals accused of grave human rights violations.

“It was brought to our attention that an event was being planned by a Tamil organiser, Nesan, to host Yohani, a singer known for her support of war criminals who committed a genocide against the Tamil people,” said Theevan, a member of Phoenix TNG, a Tamil youth group based in London.

 “We as Eelam Tamils have a civic duty to the movement and our people, to call out injustice. Boycotts were simply not enough.”

The venue and event organisers had reportedly disabled comments on promotional posts about the event after Tamil activists voiced their outrage.

“The response to our grievances during the boycott from Harley Lounge and Nesan was to disable comments on posts, silencing us further. Automatically, the next step would be to protest the event,” Theevan explained. “Thankfully, despite the challenges we faced, many Tamil people attended the protest to show solidarity amongst each other and show opposition in the face of this disgraceful event taking place.”

Dozens of protestors were outside the venue, chanting slogans that demanded justice for genocide, and war criminals such as Yohani's father, be held to account.

Sources told the Tamil Guardian that staff from the Sri Lankan High Commission were also present at the event, with some of those going to see Yohani perform stop and take photographs of the protestors.

A significant Metropolitan Police presence was also noted.

Joining Phoenix TNG were members from the Movement for Self-Determination of Tamil Eelam (MSDTE). “We would like to thank the Tamil people and the few organisations that did attend for their support and camaraderie,” Theevan said.

Yohani has drawn widespread criticism for her continued praise of Sri Lankan military leaders responsible for the killing of tens of thousands of Tamil civilians. She is the daughter of Major General Prasanna De Silva, who led Sri Lanka’s 55th Division during the final stages of the armed conflict in 2009.

A United Nations investigation documented how hospitals in the Vanni were repeatedly shelled under the command of the 55th Division. Silva himself has been linked to enforced disappearances, and his security detail was once caught transporting pistols in a white van with altered license plates, a vehicle infamously used by Sri Lankan security forces to abduct and disappear Tamils.

Yohani has openly praised her father in her music, referring to him as a "hero" in a Sinhala-language song, Rawwath Dasin, where she is dressed in a military-style costume and surrounded by flaming wreckage.

In addition, she has personally met Shavendra Silva, who has been banned from entering the United States due to his role in executing surrendering Tamils, and sang for Gotabaya Rajapaksa, the former defence secretary accused of overseeing war crimes.