Protesters opposing Sri Lankan rebel group, the Tamil Tigers, staged a five-hour demonstration outside the home of Leicester East MP Keith Vaz.

More than 100 people waved placards and chanted outside the Labour MP's house, in Uppingham Road, Leicester, on Saturday afternoon.

The protest was organised by Sri Lankans Against Terrorism, a London-based expatriate protest group.

They claim Mr Vaz helped organise a pro-Tamil rally in London in November at which he made a speech which followed a televised address by Velupillai Prabhakaran, commander of the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, the full name of the Tamil Tigers.

Lawyer Sumal Fernando, from Market Harborough, was one of those protesting.

Mr Fernando, who moved to Leicestershire from Colombo, Sri Lanka, in 1975, said: "It was a peaceful demonstration to say to Keith Vaz, 'Please do not support terrorists'."

Mr Vaz was not available for comment at the weekend.

However, he has previously said he had no idea the speech by Mr Prabhakaran would be broadcast at the event.

Mr Vaz said he spoke at the rally at the request of a constituent and condemned terrorists.

The Tamil Tigers – listed by the Home Office as a terrorist organisation – have been fighting to create a separate Tamil state in the north and east Sri Lanka since the 1970s.