YORK UNIVERSITY TAMIL STUDENTS ASSOCIATION PROMOTES TERRORISM AND HATE!

On February 17th 2009, there was a very serious incident that occurred on York University campus. The York University Tamil Students Association (YUTSA) held a rally for a separate state in Sri Lanka in support of the LTTE (Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam), arguably the most lethal and well organized terrorist group in the world. It was insulting enough that YUTSA waved the LTTE flags but they took it much further by lighting the Sri Lankan Flag on fire. This insult to all Sri Lankans was perpetrated in front of Vari Hall for thousands to witness. Furthermore, when a Sri Lankan student tried to stop them by putting out the fire, these members of YUTSA began a physical altercation with the student. The Sri Lankan community in Canada and abroad are outraged by these acts of hate directed towards all Sri Lankans.

People are questioning how this could happen on the campus of an educational institution. We put the blame solely in the hands of York University and the clubs that organized it; how can a university allow a rally in support of terrorism, and have the burning of a flag go unpunished? We also put the blame on YFS (York Federation of Students) and USAY (United South Asians at York) as they both helped to organize and supported the rally. The university should be ashamed of what it has let happen on its property. We would like to thank the York security and the York regional police who stepped in to put an end to the rally before it began to escalate even further. We are fed up with how the university has dealt with YUTSAs support of the LTTE over and over through out the past couple of years. It seems to be the situation we Sri Lankans have to face every year at York. We have seen terrorist flags raised on campus property for the past few years and it seems that York administration is turning a blind eye to the situation. A Sri Lankan flag is burned, York University shrugs its shoulders. Will it take the assault of a Sri Lankan student to finally get the attention of York University? We demand that YUTSA discontinues the use of the LTTE terrorist flag, we demand that York University takes action against YUTSA for burning the Sri Lankan national flag. The Sri Lankan community of Tamils, Sinhalese, Muslims, Burghers and Malays also asks for an apology from YUTSA and York University! PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION IN SUPPORT!