Galagoda Atthe Gnanasara in an inciteful and fear mongering speech in Aluthgama on June 15, 2014,prior to the riots said that “if one marakkalaya ( Muslim) lays a hand on a Sinhalese that will be the end of all of them” to a rousing and cheering crowd.
According to the monk, the minorities are organizing themselves and he urged the Sinhalese to wake up and fight back before they get destroyed.
Gnanasara BBSThe crowd were visibly moved and kept cheering each inciteful statement made by Gnansara prior to launching their attack on the Muslims.
He threatened to destroy Muslim businesses at Aluthgama, Beruwala and other places. He instructed his listeners to grab any bags with Halal signs and throw them on the ground. He asked his audience to fight against the minorities. Part of the audience shouted back saying yes, they will do it. The monk called the President of Sri Lanka Mahinda Rajapaksa a brainless person and asked whether any person with brains would appoint a Muslim to be a Minister of Justice. He told the crowd that party politics have destroyed Sinhalese and urged the crowd to unite and take things into their own hands.
“The police have turned their bayonets against us that is wrong. The Police should know what is happening in this country. We are asking the Defence establishment if the Sinhalse and the Bikkhus have ever raised a hand to one business establishment?. But this is enough. We haven’t raised our hands ( against them), not because we can’t… its not because we can’t”( crowd cheers)
He also said that the BBS was “racist”, while telling the Police officers present that they are a part of the “Sinhala Police and the Sinhala Army”.
He also said that the name of “Dharga town” should also be changed. “This is what these temporary…. this is the gratefulness that the have shown to us like Madumadhawa said”. (Jathika Hela Urumaya politician and singer Madumadhawa Aravinda had sung poetry to the crowd, asking them to rise up)
Courtesy: Colombo Telegraph