In pictures - Tamils rally in Brussels demanding justice and freedom for Tamil Eelam

A demonstration under the banner “Rise for Freedom, Tamils” took place on Monday outside the European Union headquarters in Brussels, as Tamils gathered to demand international justice for the Tamil genocide and reaffirm their call for the liberation of Tamil Eelam.

The protest, which drew large crowds from across Europe, marked what organisers described as a “popular uprising” for Tamil self-determination.

It was organised by TYO International in collaboration with Anaitthulaga Thodarbagam, the Tamil Youth Organisation and Tamil Coordination
Committees of Germany, France, Belgium, Norway, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, the United Kingdom, Finland, and the Netherlands, as well as various Tamil Women’s Associations.

The rally commenced with the hoisting of the Tamil Eelam national flag, a symbolic assertion of the Tamil nation's right to sovereignty and self-rule.

Demonstrators called for the international community to heed long-standing Tamil demands for accountability, justice, and a political solution respecting the Tamil right to self-determination.

Protesters reiterated their rejection of ongoing military occupation and Sinhala state structures imposed across the Tamil homeland, stressing that sixteen years after the end of the armed conflict, Sri Lanka has yet to deliver any meaningful progress on demilitarisation, justice, or reconciliation.

Speeches demanded the revocation of GSP+ (the economic concessions granted to Sri Lanka), the recognition of the Tamil genocide by European countries and support for an international justice mechanism, rejecting any form of “internal justice” controlled by the Sri Lankan state.

The demonstration in Brussels - a key centre of EU policymaking - was strategically held to draw attention from European institutions, with participants urging the EU to strengthen its support for international accountability mechanisms.

See more photographs below.