The Canadian parliament which was the first in the world to formally recognise May 18 as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, held a sombre commemoration at the parliament last week attended by several ministers, members of parliament, and the Tamil community. 

US Senator for Maryland, Ben Cardin, called on Sri Lanka to allow Tamils to commemorate 15 years since genocide "without fear of arrest". 

The senator, who also chairs the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on X: 

Tamils in Denmark commemorated Mullivaikkal with an open-air exhibit showcasing the final phase of the armed conflict which led to the massacre of thousands of Tamil civilians by the Sri Lankan government. 

Canadian politicians across the political spectrum commemorate Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day and renew calls for accountability. 

Jagmeet Singh - Leader of New Democratic Party (NDP)

NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said, “On Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, we remember the thousands of people who were massacred & disappeared by the Sri Lankan state.”

Students and staff at the University of Jaffna marked Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. 

Flowers with laid at a monument dedicated to the victims of the Tamil genocide. 

Canadian Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, and Opposition leader, Pierre Poilievre have issued statements commemorating Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. 

In a statement marking 15 years since the Tamil genocide, People for Equality and Relief in Lanka (PEARL) said that "Tamil resistance cannot be broken" as the Tamil nation remain "steadfast for their legitimate political rights."

Tamils in Glasgow held a demonstration in Glasgow, Scotland today to mark 15 years since the Tamil genocide. 

They held placards that read 'Eelam Tamils want international justice' and 'Tamils want action, not words'. 

BREAKING - Sri Lankan police officers wreak havoc at Tamil Genocide remembrance event organised by Eastern University students pic.twitter.com/1kUcEUKUlj

— Tamil Guardian (@TamilGuardian) May 18, 2024

A group of Sri Lankan police officers wreaked havoc and blocked the distribution of kanji as Eastern University students tried to commemorate Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. 

Sri Lankan police officers surrounded the students who were preparing the kanji outside the campus gates and demanded that they stopped the commemoration. 

Around 300 Tamils living around the coastal town of Southend-on-Sea in England descended on a beach at dusk on 17 May to remember their loved ones who perished in the genocide of Mullivaikkal on the island of Sri Lanka 15 years ago.

This event was one of many in Britain in the lead-up to Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day, which is marked annually on 18 May.