RALLY FOR UNITY

Public in Matara rally together to say 'Hate has no place in Sri Lanka' Colombo, Sri Lanka.


A “Rally for Unity” took place in the southern coastal city of Matara on Sunday the 7th of July 2013 under the theme “Celebrate Diversity - Hate Has No Place in Sri Lanka”. Following a similar successful Rally for Unity in Colombo in April, this was part of a series of events scheduled to be held outside the city of Colombo; which the organizers hope will be a catalyst for many more similar events and initiatives. Having gathered near the Matara Beach Park round-about, the “Rally for Unity” was concluded near the historic Matara Fort entrance, after a peaceful walk through the city. The event was graced by a large number of people including a significant number of Buddhist monks, religious leaders, elected officials representing government and opposition political parties, academics, civil society leaders and a cross section of Matara residents.

Speeches were made by Ven Baddegama Samitha Thero, Ven Batapola Nanda Thero, Moulavi Luthfi and volunteers from Rally For Unity team while all announcements were made in both Sinhala and Tamil languages. Among the participants were His Lordship Mayor of Matara Mr Sosindra Handunge,

Parliamentarian Hon. Mangala Samaraweera, Chairman of Southern Provincial Council Hon. Manoj Sirisena, representatives of Government and Opposition Parliamentarians from Matara District as well as a group of Buddhist monks including Ven. Kalupahane Piyarathana Thero.

Some of the placards displayed by the participants, most of which were in Sinhala language, read “Racism has no place in Sri Lanka”, “Unity in Diversity”, “Lets say no to racism”, “Diversity is our Strength”, “Patriotism and Racism don’t go together” and “United in marching together as Sri Lankans”.

The facebook page www.facebook.com/rallyforunity
managed by the collective has published endorsement videos for the initiative from a cross section of influential voices from around Sri Lanka, who have taken a bold step to publicly and openly to speak out against racism.

ABOUT “RALLY FOR UNITY”:

Rally for Unity is a movement to show that moderates are strong & united against hate and are committed to promote understanding about the strengths of diversity & unity. The organizers believe this will empower the silent majority of moderate Sri Lankans to stand up for an inclusive Sri Lanka.

Given the recent spate of hate speech and the marginalization of minority communities in general, a voluntary movement of concerned Sri Lankans from various institutions, professions and industries are organizing a series of nonpartisan, non-violent awareness campaigns and rallies against racist actions and hate-speech in Sri Lanka.