A group of Sinhala Buddhist extremists attempted to disrupt a peaceful remembrance event to mourn "war victims" held at Wellawatte beach in Colombo on Monday, with participants subjected to racist and misogynistic abuse before Sri Lankan police intervened to prevent violence.
The remembrance event, organised to honour civilians killed during the final phase of the armed conflict, saw participants light memorial flames and pay floral tributes in memory of those who were massacred during the war’s closing stages.
Witnesses stated that a group led by a Sinhala Buddhist monk arrived from the nearby main road area and attempted to charge towards the gathering by crossing the railway tracks adjacent to the beach venue.
Sri Lankan police officers stationed at the site intervened and prevented the group from reaching the mourners.
The group went on to shout racist slogans and directe obscene verbal abuse at Tamil attendees, including women and children present at the event. Several witnesses further stated that members of the group accused mourners of “supporting terrorism” and claimed that those killed in Mullivaikkal were “all terrorists”.
Colombo-based journalist Shabeer Mohamed stated on social media that women, children and Tamil attendees were subjected to degrading racist and sexually abusive remarks throughout the confrontation.
Witnesses also stated that a Christian father attending the event, was nearly assaulted during the commotion before several attendees intervened to protect him.
The extremist group later burned a photograph of LTTE leader Velupillai Prabhakaran while continuing to accuse participants of commemorating "terrorism".
The incident has renewed concerns among Tamil activists and civil society groups over the continued hostility faced by those seeking to publicly commemorate victims of the war, particularly in the South, despite repeated state rhetoric surrounding reconciliation and coexistence.
Several activists have also alleged that some individuals involved in the disruption had previously appeared alongside Sri Lankan president Anura Kumara Dissanayake during visits to Jaffna, and some of them also also said to be part of the wider JVP network, though no official connection has been established, yet.
No arrests or legal action were reported following the incident, despite the public nature of the threats and abuse directed at women, children and mourners gathered at the site.
This is the fourth year in which such an event is taking place in Colombo, with previous years also facing Sinhala opposition.
Across the Tamil homeland and around the world, May 18 was marked as Tamil Genocide Remembrance Day. The event in Colombo however continues to omit using the word “genocide”.