Colombo: Sri Lanka's Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith has condemned the attack by armed police and soldiers on peaceful protesters within 24 hours of the swearing in of the new president. He also demanded an inquiry into the attack.

The Cardinal explains that the unarmed youth, even after having announced that they were preparing to leave the site, were attacked by an "unprovoked" group of policemen and army soldiers.
Some were injured and others were arrested, noted the Cardinal, stressing his desire to “completely condemn this high-handed action of the president”.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe had been in power for less than 24 hours at the time of the attack, winning 134 votes in parliament, after former prime minister Gotabaya Rajapaksa was ousted.

“This is very sad”, stated the Cardinal, “because the president became president only on the vote of the parliamentarians, and because he came saying that he would protect the constitution”. Instead, continued the cardinal, “he has acted against the basic right of the people to protest, which is a democratic right, which was exercised non violently by the youth”.

The president’s attack on this youth is completely contradictory to what he publicly announced and to what his duty as president of the country is, continued the Cardinal.

He added that the parliament does not represent the majority of the people and that the president is trying to "dictate terms and force himself on the people with the use of thuggery and oppression is unacceptable”.

“We hold the president responsible”, continued the Cardinal, “for any future disaster that might come as a result of his actions”.

Cardinal Ranjith then went to note that amongst those injured during Friday’s attack were members of both local and foreign media. He went on to condemn these attacks, too, and “, especially on those who came from overseas”, warning of the discredit Sri Lanka will receive as a result of one person’s actions.