Skip linksSkip to Content
play
Live
Navigation menu
  • News
    • Africa
    • Asia
    • US & Canada
    • Latin America
    • Europe
    • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East
  • Explained
  • Opinion
  • Sport
  • Video
    • Features
    • Economy
    • Human Rights
    • Climate Crisis
    • Investigations
    • Interactives
    • In Pictures
    • Science & Technology
    • Podcasts
play
Live

In Pictures

Gallery|Protests

Photos: A ‘Gota-Go Village’ to seek Sri Lanka president’s removal

Tents erected in a small but growing camp in Colombo that is becoming the focal point of nationwide protests.

Demonstrators take selfies inside a protest area
Demonstrators take selfies inside the Gota-Go Village, which began to take shape on Saturday. [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]
Published On 13 Apr 202213 Apr 2022
facebooktwitterwhatsappcopylink

On a patch of grass near Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s office in capital Colombo, about two dozen tents have been erected in a small but growing camp that is becoming the focal point of national protests.

Thousands of people have taken to the streets across the country in recent days to call for Rajapaksa to step down, venting their anger at soaring inflation and lengthy power cuts caused by the spiralling economic crisis.

On a handwritten board next to the tents, not far from the colonial-era presidential building adjoining Colombo’s waterfront, stands the sign: “Gota-Go Village”.

The slogan “Gota go back,” also referring to Gotabaya, is being chanted at demonstrations sweeping Sri Lanka, in an unprecedented public outcry that has brought together people of different faiths, ethnicities and social groups.

Farzana F Haniffa, professor of sociology at the University of Colombo, said the protest site had become a space where all Sri Lankans could come together in a rare show of unity.

Advertisement

Some protesters said they would only leave if the Rajapaksa family stepped down. Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa in a televised address said the protests were hampering attempts to improve the situation.

“The country is in a crisis so you can’t stay at home,” said Mary Suwen, 27, a civil engineer.

“We need to pressure them,” she said, talking of the Rajapaksas. “They need to be accountable to the people.”

Demonstrators sit in a protest area in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Demonstrators sit in a protest area, dubbed the Gota-Go Village, where people are gathering in opposition to Sri Lanka's President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, near the Presidential Secretariat in capital Colombo. [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]
Advertisement
A demonstrator carries a tent to find a place for it inside a protest area
A demonstrator carries a tent to pitch inside the protest area. Thousands of people have taken to the streets across the country in recent days to call for the Rajapaksas to step down, venting their anger at soaring inflation and lengthy power cuts caused by the spiralling economic crisis. [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]
A demonstrator checks her mobile phone inside a tent at a protest are
A demonstrator checks her mobile phone inside a tent. One common cause was anger at what protesters said was economic mismanagement by the Rajapaksa family. [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]
A person serves beverages to other demonstrators inside a protest area
A person serves beverages to other demonstrators. Some protesters said they would only leave if the Rajapaksas stepped down. [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]
Muslim demonstrators eat Iftar meal inside a protest area
At the edge of a lawn behind some tents, around 30 Muslims sat in two lines to break their Ramadan fast. Mahinda Rajapaksa said in a televised address the protests were hampering attempts to improve the situation. [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]
Demonstrators sit inside a tent at a protest area, dubbed the Gota-Go
Demonstrators sit inside a tent in the Gota-Go Village. The slogan "Gota go back," also referring to Gotabaya, is being chanted at demonstrations sweeping Sri Lanka. [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]
Advertisement
General view of a protest area
A general view of the protest area, dubbed the Gota-Go Village, in Colombo. [Dinuka Liyanawatte/Reuters]


    • About Us
    • Code of Ethics
    • Terms and Conditions
    • EU/EEA Regulatory Notice
    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Policy
    • Cookie Preferences
    • Sitemap
    • Work for us
    • Contact Us
    • User Accounts Help
    • Advertise with us
    • Stay Connected
    • Newsletters
    • Channel Finder
    • TV Schedule
    • Podcasts
    • Submit a Tip
    • Al Jazeera Arabic
    • Al Jazeera English
    • Al Jazeera Investigative Unit
    • Al Jazeera Mubasher
    • Al Jazeera Documentary
    • Al Jazeera Balkans
    • AJ+
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Studies
    • Al Jazeera Media Institute
    • Learn Arabic
    • Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights
    • Al Jazeera Forum
    • Al Jazeera Hotel Partners

Follow Al Jazeera English:

  • facebook
  • twitter
  • youtube
  • instagram-colored-outline
  • rss
Al Jazeera Media Network logo
© 2025 Al Jazeera Media Network