Police Arrest 15 in On-Going Pro-Tamil Tiger Rally

UNCLAS TORONTO 000090 SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR WHA/CAN, SCA/INS, S/CT HOMELAND SECURITY CENTER WASHDC DHS PASS TO CBP E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PTER PHUM CE CASC CVIS CA SUBJECT: Police Arrest 15 in On-Going Pro-Tamil Tiger Rally Ref: (A) Toronto 52 (B) Toronto 84 (C) Toronto 86 ¶1. (U) On April 29, Police arrested 15 demonstrators at the Pro-Tamil Tiger rally that began on April 26 in front of the U.S. Consulate General. The arrests took place during two separate scuffles between police and groups of young men, occurring when the demonstrators began to spill over police boundaries. Newspapers report that the surrounding crowd of about 1,000 people began to chant "release the protestors" after the first group of young men was arrested, but remained peaceful. In all nine people were charged with mischief and six with breach of peace. ¶2. (U) On the morning of April 30, police were able to push the crowd, which had thinned out to approximately 40 people over night, off of the street and onto the sidewalk across the street from the U.S. Consulate. The move opens University Avenue, a major street in downtown Toronto, to traffic for the first time in four days. Police started to wind down the rally during the evening of April 29 by shutting down the generator powering the sound system. However, even with the sound system off, drum beating continued into the evening. ¶3. (U) The demonstrators, who currently number around 100 people, continue to call on the U.S. Government to intervene in what they call "genocide" being perpetrated by the government in Sri Lanka. They are now behind police barricades on the sidewalk across from the U.S. Consulate General. Local authorities will maintain a significant police presence at the site, as a precaution in case the crowd swells after the end of the workday. Throughout the demonstration, Toronto Police Services and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police have worked closely with the U.S. Consulate's RSO and have been extremely helpful. NAY