Occupy Toronto gathers in Queen’s Park

Occupy Toronto demonstrators rallied in solidarity with the city’s Tamil community at Queen’s Park Saturday evening, the last venue out of a trio of causes the movement took up Saturday as it begins its third week.
 
After marching to King and Bay streets from St. James Park Saturday afternoon, the demonstrators made their way to Queen’s Park to join the Tamil Freedom Rally, organized by the National Council of Canadian Tamils in response to human rights violations in Sri Lanka, two years after the war ended.

“It reveals that there is support for the [Tamil] struggle for self-determination outside of the Tamil community itself,” Krisna Saravanamuttu, spokesperson for the organization told CityNews.ca. He added that the demonstrators are seeking a long-term sustainable solution in Sri Lanka.
 
Early Saturday, the demonstrators gathered at St. James Park where a makeshift city has sprung up complete with dozens of tents, a library and a cafeteria.
 
The demonstrators then marched up Bay Street to city hall where they joined the Disability Pride March.
 
Saturday afternoon, the demonstrators headed to King and Bay streets from St. James Park for another rally as part of a call to impose a Robin Hood tax on banks before marching to Queen’s Park, escorted by Toronto police.
 
Occupy Toronto demonstrators snarled traffic in the city’s financial district for nearly an hour on Thursday afternoon.
 
Joined by hundreds of union members, the demonstrators gathered at King and Bay streets, where a small group entered the nearby TD Bank and staged a sit-in. They were later escorted out of the building by police.
 
The demonstrators have occupied St. James Park since the movement began Oct. 15, born out of Occupy Wall Street demonstrations that began in New York Sept. 17 and have since spread worldwide.
 
There are Occupy encampments in public parks in several Canadian cities, including Vancouver and Montreal, protesting wage inequality.

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