Women’s march for peace from Düsseldorf to Wiesbaden September 2-24 2023
We are going to walk from Düsseldorf to Wiesbaden from the 2nd till the 24th of September and we need your support!
We believe that the Nation of Eelam Tamils, as all oppressed people, have the right to self- determination. Instead, they have faced a genocidal process for decades, with the Mullivaikkal massacre in 2009 as low point, but certainly not the endpoint.
The Eelam Tamils, through struggle, created their own de facto state in several parts of their homeland and had very strong political support in all areas. Women had a crucial role in Tamileelam. They gained freedom and got respect and power through decades of struggle. Not only did they have their own cultural, social, and educational organizations, but critically they also had political and military power. Their power made Tamileelam possible. Women won the most in Tamileelam and lost the most after the Mullivaikkal massacre. Like all Tamils in the island, they live under constant suppression and fear. Apart from that it is mostly women that are confronted with intense sexual violence against them that the Sri Lankan state uses as a tool in the ongoing genocide on the Eelam Tamils.
We start our march in front of the Court of Justice in Düsseldorf where a very important court case took place. After the LTT was militarily destroyed in 2009 many Tamils in the diaspora in the EU countries, Switzerland and elsewhere were charged for sending money to the LTT governed regions. For the first time in the history of similar court cases two accused men, Nathan Thambi and Anandarajah, refused to distance themselves from the LTT, claiming that collecting and sending money to their people who were facing genocide was the only right thing for them to do. Germany however abandoned the Eelam Tamils by supporting the EU to ban the LTTE in the full awareness that this would lead to genocidal war.
Not only Tamils fought for Tamileelam, a place where Tamils were safe from Sinhalese racism. A few Sinhalese people and even people who were not from the island fought for peace in Sri Lanka and in the Indian Ocean region. One of them is Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul (SPD), long time Federal Minister of Economic Cooperation and Development and part of the women led Utstein Group. Now with rising tensions between the US (and UK) on one side (planning to use Thirukonamali Harbour, in Tamil Eelam territory, as a military base) and China and Russia on the other side creating peace is important as ever. We as women with will power are at once honouring Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, a woman who used her political power to try her best to bring about peace and encouraging her and others to continue the process that she started.
May 2022 the third session of the Peoples Tribunal on Sri Lanka was held in Berlin. The outcome will be presented to Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul and all others who are interested on the 25th of September.
We want to connect the power of the women of Tamileelam with the effort of Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul and the Utstein Group, the courage of Nathan Tambi and Anandarajah and the decisions of the judges of the Berlin Tribunal, inspiring all who have been and are still fighting for justice and peace in Tamileealam, Sri lanka, the Indian Ocean region and elsewhere in the world.
What can you do?
Walk with us if you identify as a women! You can join for half a day up to a few weeks.
The women need food and a place to sleep. If you can organize this, please contact us.
If you want to fight against racism, sexism, imperialism and for peace, justice, equal rights, and self-determination you can organize an event with us where we can discuss, share food, dance, music, and film screenings.
You want to support us financially: donate via https://gofund.me/ee1f96a4
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