On November 4, 2018, a group of people gathered at the Liberty roundabout in Kollupitiya.
For some, it was their fifth day of standing in protest. Following news that President Maithripala Sirisena and the United People’s Freedom Alliance had stepped down from the coalition Government, a group of citizens decided to meet at the roundabout every day, from 4:30 to 6:30 pm, until Parliament was convened. On the first day, the protest coincided with a larger rally organised by the UNP held nearby – but many of those who attended the rally on that day were quick to say that they were not attending to support the UNP.
On October 30, a tweet by Lisa Fuller featuring one of the posters held by a protester went viral. It read, “I’m not here for Ranil – I’m here for democracy”.
The poster appeared to encapsulate the sentiments of many of those gathered at the Liberty roundabout on October 30 and every day after.
Over the past few days, Groundviews documented those who attended the citizen protest. Those attending included young people who had never attended a protest before, senior citizens, activists and members of civil society. On November 4, there were participants from Jaffna, Mannar, Batticaloa and Kandy as well as from Colombo. For some, it was their first time at a protest. Others had seen corruption continue on for decades (the oldest participant was 92 years old). Members from the corporate sector stood shoulder-to-shoulder with activists from Jaffna and Batticaloa, who were flanked by those in the theatre community.
Corruption was a recurring topic, given revelations from UNP MP Ruwan Wijewardene about sums of money being offered for Parliamentarians to switch allegiances.
On October 30 and afterwards, we asked those who attended one simple question – “What made you decide to participate?”
Read what they had to say here – or scroll below for the full story. You can also follow along with the protest on Twitter, and from multiple perspectives, here.
