Sri Lankans hold anti hate rally in Colombo

    Sri Lankans of all faiths and religions participated in a rally in Colombo this afternoon (28) to protest against hate speech and racial and religious attacks on the minorities.

The anti-hate “Rally for Unity – Hate Has No Place in Sri Lanka” was held to protest against the recent incidents of violence directed at minority communities in the country by extremist nationalistic groups.

The Rally for Unity comes just two weeks after the police and the extremist Buddhist group Bodu Bala Sena disrupted and dispersed a rally organized by a group called Buddhists Questioning Bodu Bala Sena outside the BBS headquarters in Colombo. The rally was peaceful and police walked alongside the protesters.

Carrying placards which read “Diversity our Strength”, and “Hate has no place in Sri Lanka”, people from all walks of life including Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims, Buddhist monks, and Christian priests, Politicians, Academics  converged at Nelum Pokuna, Green Path.

The rally is part of a series of non-partisan, non-violent awareness campaigns, organized by a voluntary movement of concerned Sri Lankans from various institutions, professions and industries.