Protests grow against demolition of Tamil liberation struggle memorial

Jaffna university rector ordered destruction of Mullivaikkal memorial commemorating the lives lost during the Tamil liberation struggle.

Dozens of Tamils joined a demonstration outside the University of Jaffna into the early hours of Saturday morning, as armed Sri Lankan troops have blocked off the entrance to the campus after authorities bulldozed a memorial monument.

The protestors were calling for the Vice Chancellor of the university to come outside and meet them, as heavy machinery was seen toppling a monument dedicated to the tens of thousands of Tamils killed by the Sri Lankan state during the Mullivaikkal massacres.

At approximately 8.45pm, reports broke out of a bulldozer inside the university campus destroying the Mullivaikkal monument.

European Parliament member, Nikolaj Villumsen, has expressed his solidarity with Eelam Tamils following the destruction of the Mullivaikkal monument at Jaffna University yesterday and has called on Denmark and the EU to condemn the act as well as to intensify the pressure exerted on Sri Lanka for an independent investigation into the genocide of Tamils.

The memorial, unveiled in 2019, was designed and constructed by locals, including those who had lost family to the massacres of 2009. Tens of thousands of Tamil civilians were killed during the Sri Lankan military offensive, led by the Rajapaksas.