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| - Viral Video of Public Unrest Is Old; Not Related to SL Elections
ith the presidential election day only three days away, a video circulating widely on social media suggests rising unrest in the country. We conducted a thorough investigation to verify the authenticity of the claims made in connection to this video.
Social Media Posts :
A video has been widely shared on WhatsApp with the theme "Protest Against the Police," suggesting that the police were recently targeted in an attack.
This video has also been shared on Facebook, claiming that it depicts violent actions by members of the NPP ahead of a presidential election victory.
Additionally, it was shared with the claim that people were blocking access to the Katunayake airport to prevent members of Parliament from leaving the country before the election.
Many people reached out to us for clarification regarding the authenticity of this video, prompting our investigation.
Fact-Check:
Although the news ticker in the viral video mentioned Deshbandu Tennakoon, currently, he is not the Senior Deputy Inspector General of Police; the Supreme Court has issued an interim restraining order preventing him from serving as Sri Lanka’s police chief. Accordingly, it is evident that the above news is not a recent incident. We also found no recent news about people blocking the Katunayake airport entrance, as implied in the viral video.
Video Video Dates back to May 2022
Upon further investigation, we discovered that the above video clip was originally aired as part of a news report by Hiru News on May 10, 2022.
During the 2022 Galle Face protests, a group gathered at Temple Trees had attacked the protest ground on May 9. This attack provoked people across the island, leading to widespread protests and unrest.
The video in question shows members of the public inspecting vehicles to check if any politicians were attempting to leave the country in such a background. Another report on the same incident published in mainstream media is seen here.
However, the day after the Galle Face attack, protesters assaulted Deshabandu Tennakoon near Temple Trees, accusing him of aiding the crackdown on the protesters. This incident was also covered in the news on May 10th, corresponding to the news ticker on the viral video.
Sri Lanka Police confirms the old video does not resemble the country's current situation.
A statement from the Police Media Division confirmed that this is an old video being circulated on social media. They warned that sharing such sensitive videos could threaten national security and that legal action would be taken against those who spread such content.
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Conclusion :
Our investigation concludes that the viral video purportedly showing recent unrest at Katunayake is from May 10, 2022, during the Galle Face protests. The Police Media Division also confirmed that there is no current unrest of this nature and that the video is from a past event and warned that sharing such sensitive videos could threaten national security.
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