LTTE in London clash with police and injure 25 policemen
(By: Walter Jayawardhana)
London based LTTE supporters became violent and twenty
five police officers were injured in an ensuing clash in front of the
British parliament when the they once again tried to block streets.
The supporters of the banned terrorist outfit
amounting to about one thousand have been occupying an empty field
called parliamentary square hoisting flags of the LTTE and denying that
their leader Velupillai Prabhakaran is not dead as the Sri Lanka
government claimed.
Metropolitan Police said 25 police officers have been
treated for injuries and 22 out of them were for minor injuries. Three
needed hospitalization.
The police said ten offenders have been arrested for
public order offenses.
The LTTE support group have been allowed to
demonstrate and occupy the parliamentary square since April 6 issuing
statements, shouting slogans and displaying banners and placards against
Sri Lanka since April 6.
The violent demonstartion bore the hallmark of LTTE's
cowardly tacitic of risking women and children to protect the main
perperators of the event. The LTTE agents brought toddlers and babies,
who might become the first victims in a possible stampede and the
maintenance of the crowd during a stampede. During this period the
London LTTE organizers blocked public roads illegally for four times.
In the parliament on a point of order debate the LTTE
nuisance of bringing thousands of sympathisers to the parliamentary
square with tents, food stalls where there is no toilet facilities when
permission given to only 50 has been discussed.
The proposals of remedy has been drawn up by Commons
outgoing Speaker Michael Martin after consultation with Westminster
Council, where the parliament is situated, the Home Office, City hall
and the Metropolitan Police.
Westminster is prepared to hand over ownership of the
pavements to the Greater London Authority because campaign is illegal on
the GLA property. The legislation to this effect has been already
drafted.
But the LTTE wants the parliamentary square for ever,
and is going to challenge this in the courts.
The student front told newspapers that they would
fighting this measure upto the European courts since this is a violation
of their basic human rights. The LTTE is prepared even to spend millions
for lawyers to fight this out putting some students as a front. |
