Thread by @nomadic_sanjee

Thugs are attacking peaceful participants of a non violent civic action #satyagraha in Maradana. Where are the police & military? Gathering by thousands in the area while thugs attack peaceful protesters. Shame on you Ranil!
Are we truly free?
m.facebook.com/story.php?stor…
#SriLanka

#SriLanka's police & drunken mobs are attacking peaceful protesters who were sitting with peaceful action #Satyagraha. See lawyer #NuwanBopege with activists. Are the diplomatic missions aware how such a simple peaceful action is being attacke?
fb.watch/is-dr_5knH/ 2/

Drunken hired thugs are attacking the peace activists of #Satyagraha while police joins. This is state sponsored terrorism & #policebrutality. Tomorrow is #SriLanka's Independence Day.
m.facebook.com/story.php?stor… 3/ @MaryLawlorhrds @volker_turk @cvoule @SecBlinken
@USAmbSL 3/

This 🇱🇰 Sri Lankan senior police official DIG cannot even listen. Why are the tax payers paying his salary? What a thug? After lawyer Nuwan Bopege explained court order that allows them peaceful civic action, police left & sent drunk thugs. fb.watch/it0qXVIR0l/ 4/

After the police left after lawyers patiently defended right for peaceful #sathyagraha , next came police with powerful water cannons while peace activists were sitting. See how #SriLanka's police attacked #Satyagraha. This is like in #Iran.👇🏾
fb.watch/it2I7kyLyF/?mi… 5/

This is how peaceful it was till police & thugs arrived. Look at the Kids there. It was a beautiful gathering of people who desire peace to celebrate independence in their own way.#SriLanka #Satyagraha
fb.watch/it3pmiiuIf/?mi… 6/

Here are the thugs approaching with the help of police. It is clearly evident that police & thugs created the violence just like on May 9, 2022. The strategy is the same. Shame on you Ranil! 7/
fb.watch/it3uKM3QNj/?mi…

By now 5 peaceful activists have been arrested & are held at the Port shore police & lawyers haven't been given access. 8/

https://twitter.com/EmDeeS11/status/1621607448472850433?t=l2clxrXDLswB_aUsb1Vn2w&s=09

This is how bankrupt #SriLanka's police & military attacked peace activists doing a sitting #Satyagraha which is civic action Gandhian style to express what they feel about President RW allocating 200 million for independence day Tamasha.👇🏾9/

https://twitter.com/NuzlyHameem/status/1621557494370680833?t=8NG5K7ir5A6Hsks7r8wVEQ&s=09

Vimukthi Jayashan, an activist from the non-violent #Satyagraha is chased by armed riot police into a narrow alley, where multiple families reside, & brutally beaten up. He is currently receiving medical attention at the NHSL. #policebrutality 10/

https://twitter.com/EmDeeS11/status/1621628454847537152?t=rAVZhgts0-VqFGjIiwZalQ&s=19

#Srilanka's Police are preventing lawyers from accessing peaceful protesters arrested last night near Elphinstone, in contravention of the Enforced Disappearance Act No.5 of 2018 which requires police to give access to lawyers and relatives.
#IndependenceDay @saliyapieris 11/

This is how #SriLanka's riot police pushed peaceful activists doing a sitting #Satyagraha from one side while a group of drunk thugs pushed them from another side on Friday 3 rd February receiving. There were families with children & elderly sitting there. #policebrutality 12/

This is how the peaceful activists stayed holding a protective fabric over their heads as a shelter against the sudden rain minutes before a group of drunk thugs came to attack them followed by the riot police which attacked them with water cannons & teargas. #nonviolence
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Look at how the riot police brutally attacks with powerful water cannons peaceful activists sitting down with kids & grand parents for a #Satyagraha. What can #SriLanka's president gain from such a brutal action? Which kind of cruelty is this? 14/
fb.watch/it2zch4NIj/?mi…

#SriLanka's police attacked a lady who was sitting at peaceful activist in #Satyagraha & forcibly carried her away. 15/

https://twitter.com/UvinduBro/status/1621612077713608706?t=oGvskVGQLGs7sOGp-FOddA&s=09

This is how riot police brutally attacked peaceful activists of #Satyagraha after chasing them. Is sitting down for peaceful civic action called #Satyagraha a reason to beat someone up? 16/

https://twitter.com/Welikumbura/status/1621604181474959360?t=suAa7dRwCv3KpjpqM5fKig&s=19

This is a video made by @RandyChrizP about yesterday's state sponsored brutality against #SriLanka's non violent #Satyagraha. Can you believe there is no freedom to sit quietly to exercise dissent in this country on its Independence Day? See thread above.👆🏾
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#SriLanka's police prevented two lawyers from visiting those detained. Is there #ruleoflaw in #SriLanka? @USAmbSL @StateDept_GCJ @USAmbHRC
@EU_in_Sri_Lanka @eu_eeas @guyverhofstadt
@CanadaFP @AmbEricWalsh

https://twitter.com/sunandadesh/status/1621639252374130688?t=CAuX9xyUVhUSznh-WbjOHA&s=09

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On the eve of #SriLanka's #IndependenceDay courts orders were issued not allowing protests blocking many areas in Colombo. Is this the idea of #IndependenceDay to #SriLanka's president?

https://twitter.com/EmDeeS11/status/1621445483129630721?t=CU1sJCVZsWzMVr9EXq6UDw&s=09

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The riot police are chasing peaceful activitists from the #Satyagraha to take revenge & it's obvious the aim is not to disperse them. See how they attack them brutally. Many of the activists are wounded & one is hospitalized.This is #torture.

https://twitter.com/ambikasat/status/1621584868147888128?t=bSMBFOgXvgrGRFxRYGQOiQ&s=19

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I have no words to describe my disgust at the actions of this regime & all those who defend it. Especially those who choose the class conflict of elite vs poor because that's what is left for this tyrant. No more race or religion for scapegoating.

https://twitter.com/nomadic_sanjee/status/1621624363089895424?t=v1LXWEdgPoiqF8fb-mtTow&s=09

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Peaceful activists are asking #SriLanka's police to stop or arrest the drunken mobs which appeared. The police do absolutely nothing. Instead they start pushing the protesters from the opposite side. This is state sponsored violence. 22/

This is a video identifying one of the mob leaders. The police have done nothing to stop the drunken mobs. Pictures are circulating in social media of the suspect posing with the boss. 23/

Watch this short clip from the movie "Gandhi". This is how the British empire lost its moral ascendancy.

Now read this thread again. Can #SriLanka actually celebrate 75 years of independence? What has changed? Are we truly free? 24/

Dear @SarahHultonFCDO
@LisaFCDO @UKinSriLanka
@BBCWorld @guardian @akeenan23 @francesharris0n @sarojpathi @bbcsinhala @ChathamHouse @Cambridge_Uni
Please have a look at this 🧵.👆🏾
Bankrupt #SriLanka celebrates 75 years of independence today.Will you endorse what happened? 25/

@USAmbSL @EU_in_Sri_Lanka @IMFNews @GermanAmbColo @GermanyinSL @FranceinColombo
@JFPactet @SwissAmbLKA @CanHCSriLanka @AmbEricWalsh @michelappleton
@LavertuEric @AusHCSriLanka @NorwayAmbLK @HorbachBonnie
Will you all party with president as if nothing happened yesterday?🤭26/

@UNSriLanka @UNDPSriLanka @UNICEF_SriLanka @SAHCom_Colombo @varever @lindaehrichs @UNFPASriLanka @FAOSriLanka @SecBlinken @EP_President @HeidiHautala @vonderleyen @MaryLawlorhrds @cvoule @hrw @AgnesCallamard @mg2411 @Meerasrini Why are you mistreating #SriLanka?👆🏾27

@eucopresident @guyverhofstadt
@CanadaFP @MarinSanna @OlafScholz @EmmanuelMacron @kimvsparrentak @MiguelUrban @amnestysasia @UNHumanRights @UN_HRC @unhrcpr @UNGeneva @StateDept_GCJ @tanjagonggrijp @McKinnonDavid Are #SriLanka's hungry children less important for you? 28/

How many international media will report on what happened in #SriLanka last night? @swheaton @POLITICOEurope @washingtonpost @nytimes @AFP @Reuters @ABC @NBCNews @Trevornoah @AJEnglish @destandaard @Knack @jdceulaer @JDSLanka @MarianneDavid24 @NireshEliatamby @officiallahiru 29/

Here is a recording of a Twitter space @whatsnextlk discussion on Friday 3rd February attacks on #Satyagraha in Maradana, #SriLanka. Civil society discusses role of international community & if they care about #HumanRights at 37:20.
twitter.com/i/spaces/1YqJD… 30/

Cost break down of #SriLanka's president's party for #IndependenceDay. 👇🏾

https://twitter.com/roelraymond/status/1621467469092110337?t=ds960CKyA_hHbzFKrxptUA&s=19

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Do you approve of 200 million spent for #IndependenceDay celebrations of #bankrupt #SriLanka while 50 % of the children are malnourished, hospitals are without medicines & families struggling to send kids to school?

Do you approve of diplomats & foreign dignitaries partying with RW/endorsing 200 million spent for #IndependenceDay celebrations of #bankrupt #SriLanka while 50 % of the children are malnourished, hospitals are without medicines & families struggling to send kids to school?

There are 4 detained. One is missing in the picture. It is reported he has fainted several times yesterday and police is refusing medical access to him up until now. Says @swasarul
@USAmbSL @UnderSecStateP For your attention. 34/