A downtown Ottawa rally protesting the Sri Lankan government's offensive aganist separatist Tamil rebels led to the closure of Wellington and Elgin streets near Parliament Hill late Tuesday afternoon.
Several protesters holding signs blocked the streets near the National War Memorial. Commuters were being asked by Ottawa police to avoid the area in front of Parliament Hill and use an alternate route where possible.
The protest, along with similar events held recently across Canada, are meant to draw attention to the attacks by the Sri Lankan military on Tamils in that country's bloody civil war.
In the United Kingdom, London police say they have arrested four people after hundreds of Tamil protesters blocked Westminster Bridge beside parliament on Tuesday.
Police moved the remaining protesters to an area in front of parliament, and arrested four people for public order offences.
More than 70,000 people have been killed in the civil war that has been ravaging Sri Lanka since 1983.
The United Nations human rights chief recently warned that civilian casualties could reach "catastrophic" proportions if the two sides do not suspend their fighting soon. The UN estimates up to 190,000 people are trapped in the war zone, with dozens dying every day.
Sri Lanka's Tamil minority has been fighting for their own separate state in the north. Their cause is championed by the militant group, the Tamil Tigers. The Singhalese majority and their government oppose the separatist movement.
With files from The Associated Press
