Following protests by 22 UK student unions, both of Namal's Cambridge and Oxford lectures have been cancelled.

The world-renowned university unions of Oxford and Cambridge in Britain have taken steps to completely cancel the lectures and discussions that were scheduled to be held under the leadership of Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP) Member of Parliament Namal Rajapaksa. The main reason for this decision has been the strong protests and massive demonstrations organized by 22 Tamil student and youth organizations spread across Britain.

The Cambridge Union's lecture was initially planned for February 27, and the Oxford Union's lectures were scheduled around February 23 and 25. Namal had undertaken this expensive trip to Britain with a group of 25 party loyalists, including his wife, but political commentators believe that his attempt to build his political image has failed this time, and instead of lectures, he has visited several Buddhist temples and met his supporters.

Katherine Yang, President of the Oxford Union, stated to their independent student newspaper 'Cherwell' that the decision was made because students most connected to the topic expressed that there was no safe environment for them to openly ask questions. She pointed out that while facilitating direct and open questioning is a core objective of their Union, a robust debate cannot be built if key stakeholders cannot participate at an equal level. A few days prior, the Cambridge Union also canceled its lecture, stating that a balanced and open discussion on this topic could not be held under the current circumstances. 


However, they also emphasized that their organization does not endorse the actions or beliefs of any speaker. In addition, the Cambridge Union recently postponed a discussion with French Prime Minister Gabriel Attal and strongly condemned statements made by far-right journalist Katie Hopkins.

The Oxford and Cambridge Tamil Societies, as well as organizations including the Tamil Youth Organisation UK (TYOUK), Phoenix TNG, and Tamil Solidarity, issued a joint statement stating that providing a platform to a member of a political family directly linked to an alleged genocide against the Tamil people is a serious insult to the Tamil people. According to statistics presented by these organizations, between 1956 and 2009, Sri Lankan security forces carried out over 100 massacres targeting Tamil civilians, resulting in at least 150,000 deaths and tens of thousands forcibly disappeared. They strongly criticized the shelling of 'no-fire zones' and hospitals, organized sexual violence, and the erasure of Tamil cultural heritage, especially during the final phase of the war in Mullivaikkal in 2009. The statement further indicates that his uncle, who was the Secretary of Defence at the time, justified these actions by claiming that all civilians in those areas were LTTE sympathizers and that hospitals were legitimate targets.

Protesters accuse Namal Rajapaksa, son of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and nephew of former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, of strongly defending his family's actions and immunity. Additionally, Namal Rajapaksa faces accusations of being arrested in 2016 for corruption and money laundering (he is currently out on bail), being entangled in investigations related to the death of Sri Lankan rugby player Wasim Thajudeen, and receiving undue concessions in his legal proceedings, all of which he vehemently denies. His father, Mahinda Rajapaksa, has also been accused of money laundering, abducting and assaulting a journalist, and restricting media freedom. The relevant student organizations have urged these university unions to cancel these events, apologize to the Tamil community in Britain, and adopt a policy of not providing a platform to those accused of war crimes and human rights violations.

Despite these protests, Namal Rajapaksa has already arrived in the United Kingdom with over 25 close associates and has reportedly met two groups of Sinhala Buddhist organizations and monks in London, according to social media reports. Commenting on the protests against him, Geethanath Cassilingam, a member of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna's political bureau and chief organizer for the Jaffna District, stated that universities are places for open dialogue, not for restricting freedom of expression. He further pointed out that Namal Rajapaksa came to honestly answer questions directly and to build a strong Sri Lanka through dialogue, moving beyond divisions for future generations. 

In 2010, an invitation extended by the Oxford Union to then-President Mahinda Rajapaksa was similarly canceled at the last minute due to massive protests and security reasons, and a similar controversial situation arose in 2008 regarding his visit. These protest campaigns continue with the support of the Oxford Action for Palestine Committee (OA4P).

The letter written by the protesters is below