Tamil protesters leave Gardiner Expressway(Toronto Highway Road)

Update 12:38 a.m. Monday

We just witnessed the clearing of the Gardiner. Shortly after midnight, the protesters started leaving. By 12:35 a.m., all of them had left, followed by a police bus. In groups, they marched up Spadina. 

Update 12:05 a.m.

CP24 is reporting that protesters are set to clear the Gardiner Expressway after hearing from Liberal leader Michael Ignatieff's office. Police are currently in the process of opening the Dundas and University corridor as well. According to one protest spokesman, Mr. Ignatieff's office has promised to bring up the issue of economic and diplomatic sanctions against Sri Lanka with the government in Ottawa. "It was a spontaneous event," the Tamil spokesman said in an interview with CP24.

Update 11:25 p.m.

By Allison Hanes and Melissa Leong, National Post

A peaceful demonstration escalated late yesterday into what Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair called an“unlawful” and “dangerous” situation, after 5,000 Tamil protesters marched up the on-ramp to the Gardiner Expressway, closing the downtown highway.

As darkness fell and chill set in last night, Tamils fighting to draw attention to the civil war raging in their homeland vowed to occupy the expressway indefinitely, with women and small children standing face to face with an outnumbered phalanx of police in riot gear.

Chief Blair admitted police were caught off guard after demonstrators winding their way from University Avenue to Queen’s Park, suddenly stormed up the ramp at Spadina Avenue shortly after 7 p.m., paralyzing traffic and inflicting gridlock on Toronto.

He said the danger caused by the protesters is mostly to themselves, expressing particular concern for small children scattered throughout the crowd.

“It’s an extremely dangerous situation to put children on front line of a protest in that way,” he said. “There are 2,000 people on that ramp. If something were to happen that they try to get off that ramp very quickly, the likelihood of people being stampeded is quite significant. It’s also unsafe up on the Gardiner, the rails are not that high.”

The protesters must be moved for their own security, as well as for the sake of public order, but Chief Blair emphasized that police do not want to do anything to exacerbate the volatile situation.

“Notwithstanding the fact they have created a very dangerous situation, we don’t want to make it more dangerous by an escalation of force,” he said. “We’re going to try to find every peaceful way to get them off of there.”

Chief Blair said police were trying to mobilize sufficient resources for the operation, keeping the day shift on duty, prolonging the afternoon shift, calling in the night shift and contacting neighbouring forces, including York, Peel and the Ontario Provincial Police.

Efforts to negotiate with the demonstrators were proving futile, Chief Blair added, calling them “uncooperative” and fractured.

He could not promise the highway would be open again for morning rush hour.

Mayor David Miller issued a statement calling for calm and asking protesters to “peacefully relocate” to a safer location.

“Toronto’s Tamil community is understandably concerned about what is happening to friends and family in Sri Lanka. They have an absolute right to make those concerns known and to protest. Endangering public safety by occupying the Gardiner or other public highways is not the right way to make that statement,” he said.

Police closed the Don Valley Parkway south of Highway 401 last night to prevent people from moving south and advised motorists to stay away from downtown. About 70 police cruisers were parked in the area with hundreds of officers on the streets and the Gardiner, some on horses, some donning gas masks.

Protesters continued to file onto the elevated highway late last night, demanding that Canada intervene in the on-going civil war in Sri Lanka.

Another group gathered at College and University streets leading to Queen’s Park where one demonstrator was reportedly a week into a hunger strike.

It was unclear how long the protesters planned to occupy the Gardiner. Protesters said the move to the highway was “spontaneous.”

“I know it’s an inconvenience but we’re talking about human lives,” Myvili Rangith, 28, said. “We’ll stay until we get an answer from the government.

We want the Canadin government to call for a ceasefire. We don’t want to lose anymore of our people.”

Elbert Joseph added: “Stephen Harper is sleeping. I am a Canadian. What does Canada stand for?”

Protesters said the community converged downtown in response to the news of more civilian deaths in Sri Lanka. Almost 400 civilians were killed and more than 1,100 wounded in the past day during intensive shelling in Sri Lanka’s war zone. Civilians trapped in the area have little food or water and only makeshift shelter, according to those who have managed to flee the combat zone. About 700 civilians escaped yesterday alone, according to the military.

The Tigers declared a “unilateral cease-fire” two weeks ago; but they continue to hold civilians and fight government troops in sea and land battles.

The government, for its part, declared April 27 that combat operations had “reached their conclusion.” It says its military campaign is a hostage rescue operation.

In Toronto, two weeks ago, thousands of protesters began a demonstration in front of the U.S. Consulate on University Avenue to draw attention to the on-going civil war. The protest, which shut down the thoroughfare between Dundas and Queen streets, lasted five days and was mostly peaceful; police arrested 15 people, charging them with mischief and breach of peace. As numbers dwindled, officers asked the demonstrators to continue their protest on the sidewalk and removed a sound system to reduce noise.

“There are minor inconveniences that are attached to any demonstration,” Police Chief William Blair told media at the time. “The inconvenience of these demonstrations is a small price to pay to be such a diverse and international community.”

National Post, with files from wire services