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The evolving protest culture

11 Apr 2022

Protests against President Gotabaya Rajapaksa and the Government are evolving and spreading at unprecedented speed, and the longest such protest, which entered its third day yesterday (11), is in progress with unforeseen enthusiasm and unity at and around Galle Face in Colombo. Even though these protests were conducted in a peaceful manner thus far, yesterday, for the first time since the beginning of the ongoing spate of protests, a clash was reported between an anti-Government group and a pro-Government group in Chilaw. This clash broke out at a time when a new group, which was not seen during the beginning of the protests several weeks ago, started taking to the streets to show support for the Government and the President, in opposition to the ongoing protests against the Government and the President. For people to continue peaceful protests, and for the law enforcement agencies to perform their duties, the Chilaw incident should be considered a lesson. While a majority of the people is likely to question the movement and motives of the pro-Government, pro-President group, they have the same freedom to express their opinions and engage in peaceful protests as those opposing the Government and the President. Therefore, even though they are frowned upon, their rights too should be respected, and the law enforcement agencies and general public have a responsibility to ensure that these protests do not devolve into a clash – and even if they do, that they are promptly dealt with. Therefore, it is important to acknowledge that protests can get out of hand in an unexpected manner, and that therefore, the law enforcement agencies need to be proactive, instead of reactive, to avoid tragedies among their countrymen. The authorities need to use the available intelligence to identify the risks, such as two opposing groups organising protests in the same area and protesters showing signs of being violent, and take necessary, proactive steps. At the same time, they should be more active in responding to such situations.  However, the people’s support is also vital. While the people’s main responsibility is refraining from being violent, they should also be vigilant about violent individuals in their groups, or external groups infiltrating their groups to trigger violent acts, and inform the law enforcement agencies about such individuals or groups. There should be no hesitation when it comes to doing so, because such helps protect their genuine intent in protesting. The authenticity of these protests can be witnessed through the manner in which people of diverse backgrounds, including ethnicities, came forth to support protesters. Especially at the ongoing protest at the Galle Face, many were seen extending various forms of support, such as the provision of food, water, temporary shelter, and sanitary facilities, to those engaged in protests, and it shows how crises can bring people together, which is one of the best outcomes of the protests so far. Protests are, however, not the only struggle that the people are going through. While protesters keep trying to exert pressure on the Government and the authorities, in almost all parts of the country, queues also keep making the people’s lives more and more difficult. On Saturday (9), Sunday (10), and yesterday (11), Sri Lanka recorded three more deaths in fuel queues, increasing the death toll in queues.  Perhaps, it is time to extend, to those spending hours and sometimes days in queues, the same support extended to those protesting at Galle Face, given the fact that unlike in the case of protests, those waiting in queues do not have the luxury of leaving the place anytime they want to take a break or have some food or water. In fact, it is safe to assume that those who died in fuel queues died of exhaustion or health conditions that were exacerbated by exhaustion, and some food and water could have perhaps changed their fate.


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