Hundreds of anti-government protesters marched through Colombo streets on Wednesday, protesting against inflations and higher taxes, as well as demanding the release of two detained protest leaders.
The opposition political parties, trade unions student movements and civil society groups called for the rally, which was supposed to march to the capital’s main railroad station, however, it was blocked by police, who stopped protesters from reaching the capital’s central part.
According to local media, the police began to disperse the protesters as the rally had not been agreed upon beforehand.
Earlier this year, protests swept the country for months as an economic crisis that led to severe shortages of basic items, spurred by a record drop in foreign exchange reserves.
In July, thousands stormed the residence of then-President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, prompting him to flee and later resign.
