This Sri Lankan Londoner wants you to 'fight with love' for a world of peace

The president of the Canada Sri Lanka Association in London made a heartfelt plea to the community in a prayer service planned for victims of the Easter bomb attacks.

Dimuthu Hemachandra was among a diverse crowd of people who gathered at St. Aidan's Anglican Church on Thursday.

He urged the local and global community not to become divided after more than 200 people were killed in the attacks at churches and luxury hotels.

"Please don't make this type of insane and inhumane act a reason to turn against your fellow Sri Lankans," he said.

"Let no other religion go over humanity. Let's be extremists — extremists of the religion of humanity. Let's fight with love and kindness toward a better world of peace and happiness."

The 31-year-old Londoner moved from Colombo in 2012 to pursue higher education in London.

He said he was "shocked and panicked" when he heard about the attacks. He later learned his parents and siblings were safe. 

Hemachandra was one of two speakers from the local Sri Lankan community on Thursday, both expressed gratitude over the strong show of solidarity.

"Sri Lanka is a tiny, tiny country … this incident happened in that tiny country but you are all here gathered to show your support, to pray for that tiny country and to give the message that we are not forgotten," he said. "Thank you very much."

Members of London's Muslim, Jewish and Christian community were all present. Local and provincial politicians also paid their respects.

Imam Abd Alfatah Twakkal, of the London Muslim Mosque, spoke out about the importance of knowledge and education around cultural and religious differences.

"At the root of the hatred and the racism and the bigotry and the anti-Semitism and the Islamophobia, there's a lack of reason," he told the crowd.

"There's an ignorance that's taking place and there's a lack of knowledge."