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This should show the people of London what fraudsters these people are. While pretending to emulate 'Mahatma Gandhi' this ****** was tucking into big macs on the side!!

How come he didn't think about the so called 'starving' thousands back in Sri Lanka when chucking a few more fries in his gob?

- Paul, sri lanka

The total aod for Sri Lankan IDPs by the UK government is only 4.5 million ponds but for policing overtime payment for the "Fast unto BigMac protest" costs more than 7 million ponds. You do the math!

- Slfireball, Calgary, Canada

I see Tamil Tiger flags in that picture, a terrorist organisation that makes Al-Queada saints by comparison in terms of the level of atroicys they have committed, something many ppl are ignoring in this discussion.

- Harj, London

all tamils are paying tax. so we got the rights to protest. But why you give GSP+ to country which insult our foreign Secretary

- David, London

I believe that Parameswaran was representing the 1000s of Tamils who were and still are being barbarically slaughtered by the Sri Lankan govt. Media, please do not make accusations without the proof. There are Sinhala officers in the Met and there was even a Sinhala officer in Parliament Square during the demonstartion who was harrassing the traumatised protestors at the time. Please let us see some evidence. Let us also remember that the demostration was about trying to stop a slow and systematic genocide being committed against the Tamils by teh Sri Lankan Sinhala State Terrorists.

- Annie, London

Let him die, look at the money we could save.

- Vince, London, West London

I'm sorry for what was or maybe going on in Sri Lanka but what has that got to do with the UK?...what's happened in the past is in the past and all countries that have suffered so why don't people concentrate on the future! Instead of bringing up the race hate card all the time why don't they try educating people to live together and treat everyone as an equal..that means the same law, benefits etc apply to everyone, if you break them then you lose...gosh how simple is that eh but then no one would make a profit mmmmmmmm

- Sarah, London

what about all the money the government made on the protest e.g underground fairs. 7 millon may be a lot of money but its nothing compared to those innicont people dying in sri lanka, Many of the british srilanks are professionls and pay taxes. Pleae have some knowledge on the subject before making fast comments. Only because of this hungerstrike many parts of the world are recognising the genicide in srilanka

- Midge, London

tax payers money? ! Tax payers money??!!!!!!
what about the blood money importing from Srilanka or income by selling nasty weapons to Srilanka to commit such crimes? Tax payers do not see this side of the story. not in millions but billions.

- K Nathan, london

If you were in charge, what would you do? 'If this chappie dies, we get open riots - what's the score?' 'He's smuggling burgers' 'OK, let it roll' - info like that costs money, pity it's so much money. My ancestor Kennett misjudged the Gordon Riots, and they never let him forget it - things don't change much in centuries.

- Steve, London, England

The conflict in Sri Lanka has nothing to do with us. If this individual and his supporters feel so strongly about it, let's buy them all a one way ticket to Colombo where they can protest to those responsible, and save us a whole load of OUR money.
Besides, the group they claim membership of is proscribed in this country. Why haven't they all been arrested?

- Keith Lonsdale, Doncaster

- Maureen Cohen, London

Can you elaborate on why you are calling this man scum, or will that require too much intelligence?

- Dc, London

I so agree with Richard of Hastings. Remember,the politicians and the police will be spending their retirements in warmth and comfort thank to who? The taxpayers of course, a significant proportion of whom will be spending their retirements frightened and cold. More daft the taxpayers for putting up with it.

- Helen, norwich

It's a shame that these 'noble' Tamil chose to travel across the world to fight with the Metropolitan Police rather than stay in Ceylon and fight the Government Army there.

Cowards, every bloody one of them!

- Cg, London

If he was really living on Macdonalds for a month then it is no surprise that he was near death's door.
By the way was it a Maxi burger and large fries and did he drink the coke too?
After we spent £7,OOO,000 we have the right to know.

- Terry, Hennebont France

"“There were doctors there, paramedics there guarding him around the clock." Yes, doctors and paramedics whose time could have been much better spent saving the life of someone who couldn't survive just by having something to eat.

- Paul H, London, UK

Next time break out the water canons. Protesting in London about Sri Lankan policies is as pointless as a umbrella in the desert. If he REALLY wants to send a message, get on a plane and protest in Sri Lanka.

- Dirk Diggler, Soho, London

Hint to the knee-jerk complainers. Nothing happens in isolation. Everything has something as a cause, and something as an effect. Focus on the specialist surveillance or on the burger and you miss everything else - like reasons!

Complaining about the O/T? Would you rather have more police working on regular pay - which would mean having more than needed in normal times. Complaining that they didn't mention this snacking at the time? Lemme see now, looking for a cover up to explain away their O/T at an extended demonstration they HAD to police, consisting of people going out of their way to make headlines (I couldn't care less whether "their cause was just"), vs. not wanting demonstrators to riot to distract attention away from a well-presented, publicity seeking fake 'hunger-strike'? I know which sounds more logical; more likely! (Hint - you can't 'cover up' having police O/T when they are in the news & in in your face every day at the sharp end of a major demo! I's a bit pointless).

If you want to complain about costs then look at the people whose avowed intention was to force the British government, with their protest, to do something that was never going to happen.

- Rogan, Irving

Reuben - Anyone with any sense would rather starve than eat McDonald's junk. For the price of one of their "meals", I can rustle up a filling and healthy meal for 2, made from fresh produce.

It's high time this protestor was moved on, and the waste of public money halted - or else let him foot the bill himself. I'm guessing that he's not paid any tax during his time in the tent? He somehow seems to think that Britain should take responsibility for a civil war in Sri Lanka, and protect the terrorist Tamils. Sorry, Para, but it's not going to happen.

- Jock, London

What a bunch of fraudsters. We've all been taken for a grand ride by these fibbers.

- Schweigen, London, UK

Idiotic police again just making themselves look worse.

- Krista, London

7 million is a tiny fraction of the compensation due to the Tamils from Britain for creating the Colonial mess in Sri Lanka. 100 000 Tamils dead, over 20 000 massacred this year alone according to the Times. 300 000 Tamils detained in illegal camps.

Britain forcefully unified the Tamil and Sinhala Kingdoms for administrative purposes in 1833 and used the illgotten Colonial profits made on that island to build Britain.

Anyway the protesters were all peaceful and no damage was caused during the 72 days so the Met overpoliced this in my opinion.

Freedom for Scotland and Tamil Eelam!

- William Wallace, London, UK

I suppose it depends: if he ate a Big Mac, does that negate his right to protest? And if he ate a Big Mac, does that render the political point he was making invalid?

In a free society this guy has a right to protest - it's not his fault that the UK is practically a police state and that the MET decided to spend all that money surveying him. The real scandal here is that (a) you have to 'protest' to get your political views across (as anyone who has written to an MP will know) (b) your protest is ignored unless you do some stunt to get media attention and (c) if you want to protest outside the Ivory Tower that is the centre of British power, you get surveyed by the police.

It seems to me that whether or not the guy ate a Big Mac is fairly irrelevant.

- Roz, France

To Jonny in London, I honestly do not care about you, or your opinion, but I do think you have the right to express it. That is because I care about free speech and as a tax payer I cannot put a price on the right of all people in this country to have the right to peaceful protest. If £7 Million of our money is spent protecting someones free speech it is a small price to pay opposed to the alternative.

- Nj, London

PC Plod! Can catch a man tucking into a Macs at any cost... but can't put away serious criminals through 'lack of evidence'

- Sanjay, Hounslow, UK

Let's not forget, the cause and reason for his hunger strike was real and visible now. More than 250,000 women and children forcefully detained under barbed wire without enough food, medicine, hope and opportunities. He raised the public awareness in order to stop such a worst situation. Unfortunately because of these media, and institutions were silent at that time, the world could not stop a brutal genocide and humanitarian catastrophe. Now these media and institutions raising their voices forgetting the core issues.

- Mike, London, UK

Yes 7.1mln is a lot of money for overtime. Don't you think the Tamils have done the cops a favour? Poorly paid Cops were able to get paid overtime because of this.

As many People have commented this demonstration was not a waste of time or money. These Tamils probably pay more than £7.1 million tax in Britain. They are also British Citizens. Just because their skin is a different colour it does not mean they cannot protest.

Our freinds and family members were slaughtered and the British Government did nothing to stop that.

I agree that it was illegal to block the bridge. The Police did a fantastic job and they deserve this overtime and perhaps the Met should think about paying bonus for thos officers who were on duty.

- Patrick Ratnaraja, Croydon

To you people who don't care less....you should! It's the <b>British</b> and their political incompetence as colonial 'rulers' that caused conflict in Sri lanka lasting 30 years. You really should learn some of your own history.

- Airhellair, howareyou

@ Paulina Smid, London

And just what kind of influence do you think we have in that country? Whatever point he/they were trying to make had nothing do with the a-political Police force.

And another thing; they were not guarding this individual in his tent, they were protecting ordinary British citizens trying to go about there daily business from rioters intent on ILLEGALLY disrupting London's streets.

- Frank, Home Counties, England.

Re "scum like this are allowed to spend £7million of our money" - that is a wholly inappropriate way to refer to our police service.

- Austen, London

Another false claim from the Met. It took them 8 months to see their CCTV hmmm.. Waste of police force and i don’t believe this is true.. just another media scam. We need more police on the road not setting on a chair for 8 months to analysis what this dude is eating.

- Nathan, Kent

Hmmm £7mill for Big Mac.. I don’t think Police or Media getting the fact right. I can remember when these guys were protesting ting which was good few months a go, but they happen to find the evidence now.. hmm. I think Police should have stopped it then not pull a fast one to cover their OT sheet from getting approved.
I guess police force was busy eating doughnut to check their CCTV.

- Roy, London

It is completely irrelevant whether or not Mr Subramaniyan was eating or not. What IS important is the point he tried to make, and which appears to have escaped the Met entirely: He wanted Britain to stop Sri Lanka from shelling the last Tamil rebel enclave, where thousands of civilians were trapped.

Perhaps the Met Police could explain why on Earth they were guarding a single man in a tent, when clearly there are far more dangerous individuals out there who should be under close supervision.

- Paulina Smid, London

It just makes me sick that British pensioners die because they cannot afford their heat bills and scum like this are allowed to spend £7million of our money, thanks to the socialists who are running and ruining our country.

- Richard, Hastings

Nice one Para. Didn't you go on an all expenses paid junkie to NewYork as well courtesy of the British Taxpayer accompanied by the British Foreign Sec.

- Peter, London

"Metropolitan Police sources who say surveillance teams, using specialist monitoring equipment, have evidence of him tucking into the fast food meals in his tent." How about saving squillions of pounds by just folding back the tent flap! dddoooohhhhhhh!!!!!!!!

- Spud, Purley, Surrey

Just the thought of what could have been bought or done with that money makes my blood boil, and yet, here we are wasting it on scum!!!As a taxpayer I am absolutely livid.

- Maureen Cohen, London

Barbus dont you mean McBurger off?

Not sure how eating McDonalds breaches hunger strike!!!

Now real food like Middle Skate and Chips thats different.

- Melvyn Windebank, Canvey Island, Essex

Why are police wasting their surveillance team’s time on this, surly they can see he's small fries...

- Paul B, London

He should be told to burger off.

- Barbus, Liverpool

so paramedics and police used to guard this complete waste of space?!
if i or any of my freinds or family needed police or paramedics that were unavailable due to this you can bet he would definitely need police protection!
“In view of the overtime bill, this has got to be the most expensive Big Mac ever.”

at least someone thinks its funny!

the police in this country are useless/overpaid and corrupt!

bring on the revolution...

note to the protestors...GO HOME ...WE COULDNT CARE LESS!

- Gazza, london

Lets all go to there country and do a mass demonstration.....and see what happens..

- Rsaviour, london

£7,100,000.00 of taxpayer's cash down the river.

I am positive there are genuinely starving children in London who would just love to have a Big Mac.

- Reuben Camara, Morecambe Compound, EUSSR

@ Gman, Kent

How about the utter waste of tax payers money on having to police a denounced terrorist group?

- Frank, Home Counties, England.

Police didn't expose this at the time a fear of a riot. You beleive that! Most likely reason was that they wanted to keep this going to claim the overtime. I am sick and tired as a council tax payer having to fund these jokers. We should ban all the illiegal demos. This is a democracy, if they are not happy about the things in the countries they came from, they should go back there and demo. Leave us London tax payers alone!

- Pepe, London

We the general mass of the people care not of this person or his protest.

If he cares so passionately about his cause, ship him out to that country, never to return here and waste our valuable resources and taxpayers money.

- Jill, London

I honestly do not care about this individual or their cause. What i do care about is that £7.1 million of our taxpayers money was wasted on this pointless demonstration. it is an absolute disgrace that our money was wasted on these people............

- Jonny, London

What a fantastic use of police resources! I wholeheartedly congratulate the Met for spending our money on spying on a fella in a tent.

- Gman, Kent

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