Viral Video Claiming Recent Destruction of President Wickremesinghe’s Banner is Misleading
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As Sri Lanka's presidential election approaches, incidents of election law violations have increased throughout the island. However, some old incidents are being reshared on social media, misleading the public by presenting them as current election law violations.
Social Media Posts
A video circulating on social media shows a group of people destroying a banner featuring President Ranil Wickremesinghe in broad daylight. Many users claim this is a recent incident related to the upcoming presidential election. We conducted a thorough fact-check to verify the authenticity of the claim.
Fact Check
Investigation
Reverse Image Search:
We began by using reverse image search on the video's keyframes but found no reliable results pointing to the footage's original source.
Clues from the Video:
Upon further analysis, we noticed a signboard in the video showing the number "15" and a sign indicating "Walasmulla," suggesting a location in southern Sri Lanka. The number appeared to be part of a bus route sign, possibly the 515 bus route that connects Walasmulla and Tangalle.
Local Verification:
To clarify the location and date of the incident, we reached out to local journalists in the area:
K. Kotagala, a provincial newspaper reporter from Walasmulla, confirmed that no recent incident involving the destruction of a Wickremesinghe banner had occurred in the area. He suggested that this might be an older event.
G. Gunarathna, a journalist and television correspondent from Walasmulla, identified the location as the Tangalle bus stand near the clock tower. He confirmed that no such incident had been reported recently but noted that similar acts occurred during the 2022 "Aragalaya" protests.
W.G. Chandrasena, a television journalist from Tangalle, corroborated these details, adding that the video most likely depicts an event from 2022 when protestors removed banners and billboards of politicians during the height of the protests.
S.P Advin, a newspaper reporter of Tangalle, also said there were no such recent incidents.
Historical Context:
During the 2022 "Aragalaya" protests, which called for the resignation of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, Ranil Wickremesinghe was appointed Prime Minister and later became the acting president following Gotabaya's resignation. At that time, supporters were putting up banners and cutouts of Wickremesinghe to celebrate his new position, but protesters tore down some of these banners in different parts of the country.
Video Analysis:
The low-resolution video appears to have been recorded on a mobile phone, with unclear letters on the billboard. Based on the location, journalist confirmations, and lack of recent reports, the video is likely from 2022 and is not connected to the upcoming presidential election.
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Conclusion
The viral video claiming that a banner of President Ranil Wickremesinghe was recently destroyed in relation to the upcoming election is misleading. The event shown in the video is most likely from 2022 during the "Aragalaya" protests, and no such recent incident has been reported in the Tangalle or Walasmulla areas. As per our analysis, the location is near the Thangalle bus stand and clock tower.