Mr Varnakulasingham's family said they were proud of his actions
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Thousands have gathered at the funeral of a man who set himself on fire in protest at the treatment of Tamils in Sri Lanka.
Murugathasan Varnakulasingham, 26, from Harrow, north west London, killed himself outside the United Nations building in Switzerland last month.
About 10,000 mourners attended the service at Northolt community centre.
The British Tamil Councillors and Associates group said: "This man died not for himself but for us."
'Sad and sombre'
His family have said they were proud of his actions.
Thousands of people are have been killed, and thousands more displaced in Sri Lanka since fighting escalated over the last five years.
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Mr Varnakulasingham wanted to draw attention to Sri Lanka's civil war
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The Tamil Tigers are fighting for a homeland for the ethnic minority Tamils in the north and east of the island.
Mr Varnakulasingham, a computing graduate who worked part-time in a supermarket, had been a demonstrator protesting against the Sri Lankan military's war against the Tigers.
Thaya Idaikkadar, chairman of the British Tamil Councillors and Associates group said: "It was an extremely sad and sombre occasion.
"Lots of people were weeping, many, many people queued to make their way around the coffin.
"This man died not for himself but for us.
"He was just 26, a graduate. He had his whole life in front of him; his parents are obviously very distraught."
Thousands of Tamils have settled in the UK after fleeing from Sri Lanka's long running civil war.
'Hero'
Before his death Mr Varnakulasingham wrote that he would sacrifice himself to draw attention to the troubles of his people.
Mr Idaikkadar: "His death was not in vain, he achieved a lot, he is a hero for us and a son for all of us."
Mr Varnakulasingham's brother-in-law Thavaroopan Sinnathamby, 33, said: "He was a refugee in his own country before he came here, so he knew the pain of what the people were going through.
"He'd go to the demonstrations and no-one was bothering and he wanted to make an impact. I think he wanted to give his life, we feel proud for that."
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