The Cambridge Union has cancelled a talk with the Sri Lankan politician Namal Rajapaksa, after 22 Tamil organisations signed an open letter condemning the event.

The letter expressed the “profound outrage” of the societies at the event scheduled for 27 February, as well as a similar talk at the Oxford Union on 25 February.

The Union told Varsity: “The Cambridge Union would first like to confirm that, after urgent and serious discussions, we have made the decision to cancel our event with Mr Namal Rajapaksa which was scheduled to take place next week.”

Namal Rajapaksa is the son of the former president and prime minister of Sri Lanka, Mahinda Rajapaksa, whom the societies accuse of being involved in a genocide against the Tamil people.

The letter describes Namal Rajapaksa as “a state criminal and heir to genocide” whose “family’s name is synonymous with the destruction of our people”. The coalition of Tamil societies, which includes those at Oxford and Cambridge, argue that hosting Rajapaksa gives “legitimacy to a regime that has consistently denied justice and accountability” and betrays the Unions’ “values of free speech and open debate”.

The Cambridge Union responded: “We would like to assert in the strongest possible terms that none of our events are endorsements of, or uncritical platforms for, any speaker or their beliefs, actions, or record. Our events are curated with the sole purpose of offering our members the opportunity to question and challenge the individuals and groups whom we invite to our institution.

“At the present moment, we don’t believe it’s possible to have a balanced and open discussion on this subject, and thus our Standing Committee made the decision to cancel this event.”

The letter demanded the cancellation of both events, as well as an apology from both Unions to the British Tamil community and “all survivors of Sri Lankan state violence”. The societies also called for the Unions to adopt a non-platforming policy for those accused of war crimes, genocide, or human rights abuses.

Between 1956-2009, the Sri Lankan security forces committed over 100 massacres of Tamil civilians. At least 150,000 died amid tens of thousands of forced disappearances.

One of the worst atrocities of the Tamil genocide was the Mullivaikkal massacre, in which the government designated ‘no fire zones’ in Mullivaikkal, encouraging civilians to congregate there, before shelling those areas.

Rajapaksa’s uncle was Defence Secretary at the time, and justified these actions by arguing that the hospitals operating in these areas were legitimate targets, and that all the local civilians were sympathisers of the Tamil militant organisation KTTE.

Namal Rajapaksa was previously arrested on charges of money laundering, and is embroiled in an ongoing investigation into his alleged involvement in the death of Sri Lankan rugby player Wasim Thajudeen. He has also been accused of receiving preferential treatment in his final-year law exams, and lying about his grades, which he strongly denies.

The Tamil societies wrote that “he remains a staunch defender of [his family’s] genocidal apparatus and an active beneficiary of its impunity,” arguing that his invites to speak are an “act of profound insensitivity and a grievous insult to the Tamil people”.

Rajapaksa’s father, Mahinda, has faced accusations of money laundering and involvement in the abduction and assault of a journalist. During his presidency, he curtailed media freedom and banned the Tamil version of the Sri Lankan national anthem.

The Union also announced yesterday (19/01) that an interview with former French prime minister Gabriel Attal, scheduled for this evening, has been postponed due to "last-minute developments in the French National Assembly". 

Last week, student and guest speakers at the Union condemned rhetoric from the far-right media personality Katie Hopkins they described as "hateful" and "racist".

The Oxford Union and Namal Rajapaksa were contacted for comment.