Lankans in London protest

About 300 people demonstrated on Sunday outside the Sri Lanka High Commission in London in support of the mass protests that have rocked the country in recent weeks.

Skyrocketing prices, putting necessities beyond the reach of millions of Sri Lankans, have compounded years of economic crisis and the impact of the COVID pandemic, driving millions onto the streets to demand the ouster of President Gotabaya (“Gota”) Rajapaksa, foreign media reports said.

A report published online by the World Socialist Web Site said: Many protestors carried home-made placards with slogans including “Give back the wealth you looted”, “Return stolen money”, “Sri Lanka we stand with you”, “We are with you Sri Lanka”, “We stand in solidarity with the Sri Lankan people”, “Feed people, fuel the country, fire Gota”, and “You messed with the wrong generation”.

There were shouts of “Gota go home” and the crowd chanted “People are dying on their feet; because they have nothing to eat”, “Gota, Gota the time has come; to face justice for the things you’ve done”, and “Gota, Gota it’s not just you; it’s your family and your class too”.

A female protestor said, “In Sri Lanka now we’re in a crisis. We don’t have fuel, we don’t have petrol. We don’t have basic food necessities. One family basically governs in Sri Lanka, now people are expecting them to leave the government now.

“My friends and family are in Sri Lanka. We are here today for them. We are comfortable living here, but we know what’s going on in Sri Lanka.

“The schools are basically closed now. They’re supposed to be closed during middle of April, but now they’re closed because the students can’t go back to school, they can’t run the school vans, no buses, transport is basically broken down.

“Workers have to demonstrate and ask the government to step down, and whoever wants to govern in the right way, not the corrupted way, they should step in. Everyone else is getting together. There are Christians, Muslims, Hindus, no religious differences, everyone is on the road asking them to step in and run the government properly.

“The Sri Lankans are reunited as one, we are not divided any more. They are united in this crisis. I am sure the people are determined to keep protesting. One family brought Sri Lanka to this, just one family. Their rule is five or six ministers in the top chairs, they’re the ones who are doing this.”

Senula, a student, said, “Our parents shipped us here because of the people in charge of Sri Lanka. We are from middle class families. My father is an engineer but still it is difficult for them to live. Just imagine how working class people are doing. How can they live, how can they get basic necessities?

“I am 18, from Colombo and these protests were initiated by young people because they could see what was happening to the country. They couldn’t bear this anymore. They’ve messed with the wrong generation. The situation in Sri Lanka is messed up and the young generation, the university students, are leading the riots and the protests. We have the energy. We have the courage.

“We need to save our country. We are demanding the President to step down and his whole family leave. All the workers should be given an opportunity to speak this time, not the politicians. They cannot stop us this time, they imposed a curfew and still the protesting continued. The overall goal is to get rid of the President and his family and pay us back the money they have stolen. These people are billionaires.”

Buddhi, a young woman who runs a medical centre with her partner said, “We share the same pain that everyone in Sri Lanka is bearing at the moment, which is very difficult with the super-high cost of living. There’s no means to meet basic needs, essentials, and a very corrupt government.

“Some people voted for them a couple of years ago hoping that they keep all the promises they gave, all the pictures they painted, that the country would be made a better place, but none of it happened.