Watch: Protestors swim in Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s pool
- Sri Lankan protesters stormed into President Gotabaya Rajapaksa's office
- They started swimming in the Presidents's swimming pool
- Sri Lanka has been going through the worst economic crisis in recent memory
Hundreds of Sri Lankan protesters broke through barricades to enter the colonial-era parliament building, which has been converted into President Gotabaya Rajapaksa‘s official residence in central Colombo‘s high-security Fort area, as people took to the streets to protest against the government over the country’s worst economic crisis.
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Protesters entered President Gotabaya Rajapaksa‘s official residence on 9 July and began swimming to register their protest as Sri Lanka’s economic crisis worsened.
As the country’s foreign exchange reserves to pay for fuel, food, and medication are worsening, inflation is getting close to 60 %. In metropolitan areas, people have been forced to wait in lines for necessities while feuding with police and security.
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Schools have been cancelled, and only necessary services are still being run on fuel. Although it is unclear if President Rajapaksa was present, video taken with mobile devices showed a sizable crowd both inside and outside the well-protected house in Colombo.
Protesters blame President Rajapaksa for the country’s economic woes and have occupied his office building’s entrance for the past three months, calling on him to resign.
Protesters ran into the president’s residence, chanting ‘Gota go home,’ and referring to the president by his nickname.
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Hundreds of more protestors, some carrying flags, also entered the President’s office.
As rioters attempted to enter the home, scuffles resulted in at least 34 injuries, including two police officers.
Police reportedly shot tear gas into the gathering, but they could not really control the sea of protesters.
According to medical officials, two of the injured are in severe condition, while the remaining victims only had minor wounds.
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