Eastern University students protest against attack on Tamil student
28 May 2016
28 May 2016
Tamil students at Eastern University staged a protest yesterday condemning the recent attack on a Tamil university student by Sinhalese students after he posted a picture commemorating the Mullivaikkal massacres on May 18 on a Facebook page.
The protesting students called on the university administration to take action against the perpetrators and to put an end to racially motivated attacks. The incident, which took place earlier this week, has seen no arrests and has seen the university authorities and Sri Lankan state condemned for its inaction and "partisan approach".
As they held placards that read “no tolerance for racism”, “remove racists from the university’ and ‘education or racism?’, the students also alleged that the university administration lack of action.
Though formal complaints have been lodged, university authorities have failed to apprehend or reprimand the Sinhalese students accused of carrying out the attack. One student leader at the protest said that racism against Tamil students has been endemic in the Batticaloa district. Noting the increasing numbers of Sinhalese students who continue to enrol at the university, he said that Tamils continue to face discrimination across the district.
This attack was just one example, he noted.
The protesting students called on the university administration to take action against the perpetrators and to put an end to racially motivated attacks. The incident, which took place earlier this week, has seen no arrests and has seen the university authorities and Sri Lankan state condemned for its inaction and "partisan approach".
As they held placards that read “no tolerance for racism”, “remove racists from the university’ and ‘education or racism?’, the students also alleged that the university administration lack of action.
Though formal complaints have been lodged, university authorities have failed to apprehend or reprimand the Sinhalese students accused of carrying out the attack. One student leader at the protest said that racism against Tamil students has been endemic in the Batticaloa district. Noting the increasing numbers of Sinhalese students who continue to enrol at the university, he said that Tamils continue to face discrimination across the district.
This attack was just one example, he noted.
See our earlier posts:
No arrests over Tamil student attack in East says TNPF (27 May 2016)
Student attacked by Sinhalese for Mullivaikkal remembrance (25 May 2016)
No arrests over Tamil student attack in East says TNPF (27 May 2016)
Student attacked by Sinhalese for Mullivaikkal remembrance (25 May 2016)
