President of the current government declared a nationwide public emergency
Notes from the Field: April
On first day of April, President of the current government declared a nationwide public emergency
• A 36 -hours island-wide curfew was imposed from 6.00 pm on 2 April until 6.00 Am on 4 April.
• On 3 April Social media blocks, The social media Black out ended 15 hours it had started.
• Multiple protests in the curfew were reported
• Universities students started to protest
• On 4 April, President of current government reshuffled the ministerial portfolios
• The swearing-in of the same ministers from the former cabinet led protests to intensify,
• On 5April Large numbers of protesters gathered in front of Parliament, demanding that entire cabinet resign and chanting the slogan “Gota go home”
• Young protesters joined the streets protests.
• On 8 April police used tear gas to disperse protesters
• On 9 April these scattered protests coalesced at Galle Face Greene, swelling and transforming into the largest unified protest movement in Sri Lanka, now known as the Aragalaya – the struggle of the people.
• Thousands of Inter University Students’ Federation members joined to the Aragalaya In the weeks that followed, Galle Face Greene evolved from a mere protest site to a dynamic public forum all walks of life and all corners of the island arrived in droves to proclaim a range of grievances, Many protesters pitched tents, definitely camping at the site day and night until their demands were met. Tens of thousands of people gathered in large numbers and joined the protests in Galle Face, making it one of the largest street protest in Sri Lanka.
The site quickly became the primary hub of the Aragalaya and was named Gotagogama, which translates Gota go village ,
expressing the protesters . Chief demand is the resignation of current government President . Within hours, Gotagogama was turned into a small flourishing village equipped with a community kitchen, portable toilets, a first aid centre , a legal aid office, a people’s university , and an art gallery.
During the day, Gotagogama is bustling hub with dozens of protesters volunteering in shifts to oversee and maintain the site and its operations. After hours, the atmosphere thickens into a vibrant blur of emotion, with impassioned speeches, silent protests, teach-in poetry readings ,and open-air dramas amplifying the fervour of the protesters demands. Passing cars rhythmically sound their horns in encouragement. The most remarkable feature of all is the scale of coordination and camaraderie among the protesters. Despite hundreds in attendance from every demographic, occupation, and subculture, Gotagogama has remained astoundingly orderly and peaceful.
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