Protesters in Sri Lanka stormed the official residence of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa demanding his resignation as the island nation plunges deeper into turmoil.
Videos of protesters braving water cannons and tear gas to enter the presidential palace went viral on Saturday. Rajapaksa had left his official residence by then.
The nation is facing its worst economic crisis as inflation has surged to 70%. People have been battling shortage of everything from fuel to medicines for months. Rajapaksa has hung on to power while appointing his opponent Wickremesinghe as prime minister.
At least 30 people, including two policemen, were injured in clashes between security personnel and protesters—some of them holding Sri Lankan flags and helmets—who had gathered in large numbers in the Fort area, demanding President Rajapaksa's resignation.
Here's what happened through the day:
(Twitter videos and photos shared with permission of @SriLanka Tweet and Kalani Kumarasinghe (@KalaniWrites).
Protesters, who had gathered outside the presidential home, stormed the premises on July 9 afternoon.
Happening now #July9th massive protest in Colombo Sri Lanka, demanding President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down.#LKA #SriLanka #EconomicCrisisLK #SriLankaCrisis pic.twitter.com/RQpn7KPke6
July 9, 2022Videos showed protesters entering rooms and corridors, while hundreds also milled around the grounds outside. Some even jumped into the beds inside the presidential palace.
Protestors enter the President's House at Janadhipathi Mawatha in Colombo.#LKA #SriLanka #SriLankaCrisis pic.twitter.com/ol39OcpLm3
July 9, 2022Video - Protesters inside President's House in Colombo.pic.twitter.com/hadRlAa1Qk #LKA #SriLanka #SriLankaCrisis
July 9, 2022Video clips and photos shared on social media showed some protesters even take a dip in the presidential pool.
Swim 🏊♂️
July 9, 2022
Few protestors entered to the President's House in Colombo are having a swim at the swimming pool.#LKA #SriLanka #SriLankaCrisis pic.twitter.com/A7dtzrzkj1Earlier, hundreds had started flocking to Colombo to join the protests seeking Rajapaksa's ouster as the country faces its worst economic crisis.
#July9th massive protest continues as more people gathering in Colombo Sri Lanka, demanding President Gotabaya Rajapaksa to step down.
July 9, 2022
📸Twitter #LKA #SriLanka #EconomicCrisisLK #SriLankaCrisis #SriLankaProtests pic.twitter.com/qthB9AY5Q7Massive crowd is flocking towards Colombo to join the July 9th protest.https://t.co/Rp39XkETdD #LKA #SriLanka #SriLankaCrisis #July9th pic.twitter.com/HwSwbhk9kZ
July 9, 2022Scenes of a revolution 🇱🇰#SriLanka #GoHomeGota #SriLankaEconomicCrisis #Lka pic.twitter.com/yGHL2TGh0n
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