Sri Lanka court orders protesters to leave Viharamahadevi Park

A court has ordered protesters, including Buddhist monks, to vacate Viharamahadevi Park in Sri Lanka. The demonstrators had gathered at the site to demand the release of Gnansara Thero.

In a related development, Vasanta Muthulige, an activist from the People's Protest Front, criticized the political opposition for engaging in practices such as performing spells or 'witchcraft' during protests. Muthulige argued that such actions undermine the political credibility of the opposition and fail to address core issues like the cost of living, economic policies involving the IMF, or anti-terrorism legislation. He further alleged that factions associated with the Rajapaksa family are attempting to leverage the Gnansara Thero issue to stir nationalism and racism to regain political support.