“Don’t give up now!” “: Sri Lankans seize a new symbol of power – Le Monde

In Colombo, the economic capital of Sri Lanka, demonstrators invest, on July 13, 2022, the perimeter where the offices of the Prime Minister, Ranil Wickremesinga, are located. ERANGA JAYAWARDENA / AP With tired faces but a smile on their lips, the demonstrators stroll on the lawn of the offices of the Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, Ranil Wickremesinga. Victorious, they take possession of the premises. The armed soldiers, who violently faced them a few hours earlier, observe the scene, dumbfounded. The Sri Lankans don’t seem to want to let go anymore. Despite tear gas, water canals and police charges, they managed to invade, on Wednesday July 13, a new symbol of power in Colombo, the country’s capital. After storming, the previous Saturday, the palace and office of the President of the Republic, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, then the official residence of the Head of Government, they therefore invited themselves to the offices of Ranil Wickremesinga, the Prime Minister. In a small room, located at the back of the building, about thirty people pile up to watch the latest information on the flat screen of the head of government, suspended in a corner of the room. Some are comfortably seated on soft white sofas or on pretty wooden chairs covered in soft blue velvet. Others simply sat cross-legged, on the floor. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers Sri Lanka plunges into the unknown after the “storming of the Bastille” When the face of Ranil Wickremesinga appears on television, the demonstrators immediately boo him. The middle finger stretched vertically, in the direction of the screen. Then silence falls, everyone listening religiously to his statement. The leader’s words resonate in Sinhalese. “We cannot allow the fascists to take power,” he said. The groups that have come to the Prime Minister’s office have no reason to be there, they are stirring up trouble. However, within these walls, we are working to pack up valuables and take down historical black and white photographs. “They do an inventory and then they will record everything in order to protect these objects from the crowd. From tomorrow, many people will want to come and visit the offices,” comments Tharindu, a man in his thirties. The president “Terminator” has fled Curious people having learned of the taking of the building by social networks or the media are already beginning to flow. Many arrive on foot, due to severe fuel shortages on the island. Within a few hours, a long queue had already formed to enter and visit the colonial-era building. On Wednesday, citizens had waited in vain for the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa. The latter had promised on Saturday to leave power on July 13. But the country woke up to the news of his escape. “Terminator”, as it is nicknamed here, had taken off from Bandaranaike International Airport in Colombo, early in the morning, aboard an air force plane. You have 44.3% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.