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Following the International Workers’ Day, the National People’s Power held May Day rallies at 21 locations. Among these was the Nuwara Eliya district event, led by President Anura Kumara Dissanayake. This fact-check verifies a series of false social media posts circulating about the commemoration.
Social Media Posts :
Claim 1 :
A photograph captioned “A massive crowd at the Nuwara Eliya May Day rally of the Malima” circulated on social media, implying it showed this year’s May Day commemoration held in Nuwara Eliya.
Another photograph published on this same theme is shown below.
Fact-Check :
The National People’s Power held its Nuwara Eliya District May Day rally on May 1st at the Cinecitta Grounds, featuring President Anura Kumara Dissanayake under the theme “People’s Power for the Republic.” While major media outlets widely reported on the event, a review of live footage and images reveals no evidence of the elevated platforms or high-angle photography suggested by circulating social media claims. Furthermore, official photographs from the 21 nationwide rallies confirm that media personnel in Nuwara Eliya were positioned on the ground in front of the stage rather than on any raised structures.
A reverse image search was conducted to verify the photograph’s actual origin. The search identified the image as being from a large rally held in Kurunegala on September 10, 2024, during the presidential election campaign of then-candidate Anura Kumara Dissanayake, not the Nuwara Eliya May Day event.
Some social media posts also alleged that this year’s Nuwara Eliya District May Day rally saw low attendance, claiming that a photograph from 2024 was used as a substitute to mask the poor turnout.
However, this year’s Nuwara Eliya May Day commemoration also saw a large gathering, as shown below.
Photographs are shown below.
Claim 2 :
Meanwhile, another post circulated claiming that President Anura Kumara Dissanayake said at the Nuwara Eliya May Day rally, “This government was built by, and continues to protect, the people of the North and the hill country communities.”
Fact-Check :
A review of President Anura Kumara Dissanayake’s full statement at the Nuwara Eliya May Day rally confirms he said, ‘This government was built by and continues to protect the people of this country who bring government victory.’ Contrary to the social media post, the President did not state that it was only the people of the North and the hill country communities. The President’s statement is available below.
A check of the official Facebook pages of Sirasa and Newsfirst confirmed the President’s actual remark as: “This government was built by and continues to protect the people of this country who bring government victory.”
Accordingly, it is clear that a false post was created in a Newsfirst-style format by editing the original statement to falsely claim: “This government was built by, and continues to protect, the people of the North and the hill country communities.”
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Title: False Claims Circulate About President-Led May Day Rally in Nuwara Eliya
Fact Check By: Pavithra Sandamali
Result: False
