On Saturday, Eelam Tamils worldwide flew the black flag to mark 4 February, the 75th anniversary of the founding of the state and the independence of Sri Lanka from British occupation. The Eelam Tamil population does not see this day as a reason for joy, but rather as the beginning of a martyrdom that continues to this day. The Sri Lankan state still practices a policy of genocide against the Eelam Tamils.

The culmination of this policy was the genocide in 2009, in which the guerrilla movement LTTE, the Tamil Tigers, was defeated militarily and the Sri Lankan military committed genocide against the Tamil people. To date, at least 169,796 people are missing. For this reason, every year on 4 February, the Eelam Tamils take to the streets with black flags to draw attention to the fate of their people. This is especially necessary in Germany, given the silence of the German government regarding the human rights violations by the Sri Lankan state.

In their struggle for the right to self-determination in their homeland, the Tamil people can be sure of the support of Kurds in Germany and all over the world. Yesterday, Kurdish activists also took part in protests by the Tamil community. A larger demonstration took place in Düsseldorf, leading from the DGB Haus to the state parliament.

Medya Rosan, an activist of the Kurdish women's movement, gave a short speech and stated that the fate of the Tamils is similar to that of the Kurds. “The oppression and the pain suffered is the same. We stand in solidarity with the Tamil people in their struggle," said Rosan.

Demonstrations were also held in Berlin, Bremen, Frankfurt and Munich. In Frankfurt, members of the Kurdish Community Centre took part in a protest march. A spokesperson for the Kurdish community stated: "We are taking part in this action because we see it as our own. We are here because we want to express our solidarity with the Eelam Tamils and the Tamil liberation struggle."