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Misleading information is being widely spread about politically significant events and dates for political gain. This is an investigation we did on such a post published regarding the Nugegoda rally held on the 21st.
Social Media Posts :
A Facebook post was published claiming to be a photo of alcohol brought to the Nugegoda rally.
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A video was also published on YouTube.
Another video was also published, indicating that it was the occasion on which Namal Rajapaksa arrived at the rally.
We took the following steps to verify the accuracy of the above video and photos.
Fact Check :
On November 21st, the first public rally against the current government, organized by several opposition parties, was held at the Ananda Samarakoon Open Air Theatre in Nugegoda.
This rally, organized by the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, was titled “The Great Voice of the People against the fraudulent NPP Government”.
The above photos, which are claimed to be the alcohol brought to the rally, were not reported by the mainstream media.
For this reason, we submitted these photos for a Reverse Image search.
Accordingly, these photos are of the incident, when the white Prado jeep of former Minister Johnston Fernando was stopped and destroyed by protestors in 2022. The media reported on this incident as follows.
Accordingly, it can be seen that the circulated photos do not relate to the Nugegoda rally.
Also, the mainstream media reported the occasion when Mr Namal Rajapaksa arrived at the Nugegoda rally on the 21st as follows.
Upon examining this video, it is seen that the circulated video is not related to the Nugegoda rally, as the attire worn by Mr Namal Rajapaksa at the rally is different. Therefore, it is clear that an old video had been posted on social media.
It is a video taken at the May Day rally on May 1st.
The anti-government protest rally held on the 21st.
The Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna had stated that this protest rally, which was jointly organized by several opposition parties, would be held based on 21 reasons to raise their voices in order to ensure that the promises made by the government are fulfilled.
Those issues are, ‘Releasing suspicious containers, not reducing fuel prices as promised, not reducing electricity bills by 1/3, protecting the ‘rice mafia’, increasing the tax burden, destroying the nation’s pride, cronyism, embezzlement of assets by MPs and ministers, not providing jobs to graduates and deserving people, rendering farmers helpless, increasing the cost of living, breaking the rule of law, spreading hatred, politicizing everything, destroying local culture, hunting war heroes, forming alliances with separatists, entering into fraudulent agreements, being exposed for lying, not doing the country any good and having no future plan’.
More than 17 parties, including the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna, the United National Party, the Sri Lanka Freedom Party, the Pivithuru Hela Urumaya, and the Podujana Eksath Peramuna, participated in this mass rally.
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Title:Misleading photos, claiming that alcohol was brought to the 21st rally
Fact Check By: Fact Crescendo TeamResult: Misleading
