Flagging off racism?

Friday, 24 April 2015 01:38 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Observers were shocked to notice the emergence of a distorted Sri Lanka National Flag at recent anti-Government protests organised by certain groups sans the standard colours green and orange. These flags were widely used by protesters yesterday outside the Bribery Commission when former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa came in to make a statement as well as on Monday when pro-Mahinda Rajapaksa MPs and groups protested near the Parliament. Civil society members said at a time when the nation’s cry was for greater unity, groups with vested interests carrying seemingly Lankan flags sans other colours to symbolise the multi-ethnicity of Sri Lanka was a very dangerous trend that must quelled immediately

Police to probe use of distorted national flag

The police are to investigate reports that national flags carried by some of the protesters outside the Bribery and Corruption Commission were altered. Police spokesman ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said that the police would report to court on the issue as well as on the protest which was staged in violation of a court order. The Sri Lankan flag used during the protest did not have the colored stripes representing the minorities in Sri Lanka.