Ignatieff clears the Gardiner? (II)

And now the official statement from the Liberal leader’s office.

Yesterday, in collaboration with police and out of concern for public safety, Liberal Party officials intervened to help end the demonstration by Tamils on the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto. The protest had blocked the highway and put the safety of the protesters and innocent bystanders -- including women and small children -- at risk.

At no point did Liberal Members of Parliament or staff participate in yesterday’s protest.

Our Party has raised, and will continue to raise, the plight of the Tamils in Sri Lanka in the House of Commons. We will continue to demand action by the Canadian government to address the humanitarian crisis in Sri Lanka. But the Liberal Party of Canada stands firmly against terrorism, and I restate our unequivocal condemnation of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam.

I urge Canadian Tamils to continue raising this issue publicly, and to give it the attention it deserves. But I implore them to do so legally and safely, by working with their elected representatives and through legal means of protest, and not through demonstrations that put public safety at risk.