Rally for those trapped in Sri Lanka

Hurricane White of Seattle leads protesters in chants — "Sri Lanka, stop the genocide ... shame on you" — at a First Avenue rally in Seattle on Friday afternoon.

Sri Lankan minority Tamils and supporters gathered in front of the Henry M. Jackson Federal Building to protest and raise awareness of the people caught in the crossfire between Tamil forces and the Sri Lankan army, now reaching a climax. One woman said, "For whom do I cry? I've lost so many people over there."

A spokesman for the group said that everyone at the protest has lost someone in the conflict, many have lost dozens.

The Associated Press reported Friday that the United Nations estimates 50,000 people were trapped in the war zone after more than 100,000 fled earlier this week. In the past few weeks, protesters around the world have urged governments to withhold financial aid to Sri Lanka and demand access for journalists and human-rights organizations.