Several hundred Tamil-Americans have gathered at the Gandhi statue in Washington to hold a rally in support of the ongoing Jallikattu movement demanding lifting of the ban on bull-taming sport which is an integral part of Tamilian culture. Several dozens of them also held a protest demonstration outside the PETA headquarters in Norfolk, Virginia.


Armed with posters and banners, Tamil-Americans including a large number of children and women raised slogans in support of Jallikattu and vented out their anger against animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which is leading in supporting the ban on the grounds that it is a torture to animal.


"We love our animals. We know how to treat our animal. This is part of our tradition and culture," said Babu Vinayagam, one of the anti-PETA protestors at the Gandhi Statue in front of the Indian Embassy in Washington.


"Today's rally is to show our solidarity with our people back home fighting against ban on Jallikattu," he said. Majority of the slogans were in Tamil, but at times they shouted "Down Down PETA," venting their anger at the animal rights group.