Members of the clergy, politicians and civil society representatives were among the crowd that gathered before the Fort Railway station today to protest against the anti-Muslim clashes that erupted in Southern Sri Lanka.
The protest that was organized by the Movement for Equal Rights was titled ‘No Black July again!’
The crowd held placards and chanted slogans in Sinhala deprecating Bodu Bala Sena (BBS) General Secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara and Secretary to the Ministry of Defence Gotabaya Rajapaksa and holding them responsible for the communal violence that erupted in Aluthgama and Beruwala on Sunday.
At one point, the protesting crowd even partially blocked the road before the Fort railway station creating quite a traffic congestion in the area.
“Sinhalese blood is red, Tamil blood is red and Muslim blood is red!” the protesting crowd chanted as they called for the immediate banning of BBS.
The organizers and participants of the protest expressed concern over the close monitoring and surveillance allegedly carried out by the TID.
Forum for Peaceful Coexistence, Sri Lanka 