Moratuwa, Sri Lanka – The Socialist Equality Party (SEP) in Sri Lanka is rallying support from various international entities in response to a violent attack on two of its members by pro-government thugs. Dehin Wasantha and Lakshman Fernando were physically assaulted at the University of Moratuwa on November 30 by individuals associated with the ruling Sri Lankan Podujana Peramuna party.
Wasantha, a university non-academic worker and well-known fighter for workers’ rights and socialism, suffered two fractured fingers from the attack. On the other hand, Fernando, a full-time SEP party worker, was left with bruises and a neck injury. The case was brought before a judge at the Magistrate Court in Moratuwa on January 8, where the magistrate ordered the case to be referred to a mandatory Mediation Board.
In response to the attack, numerous letters from around the world were sent to Sri Lankan authorities, demanding justice for Wasantha and Fernando, and the protection of SEP’s democratic rights. The International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) in the US sent a protest letter, condemning the attack and expressing solidarity with the SEP in Sri Lanka.
The attack at Moratuwa University is seen as a politically motivated attempt to suppress and intimidate not only the targeted members, but the entire working class in Sri Lanka. The ruling party’s backing of imperialist-funded genocide and imposition of austerity measures on the population has led to mass social struggles on the island.
The historic betrayal of the Lanka Sama Samaja Party in 1964, which entered the bourgeois government, serves as a central point in the SEP’s rejection of all-party agreements. The SEP has consistently fought for the complete independence of the working class from all factions of the bourgeoisie, gaining significant support and authority among the masses.
The assault on the members of the Socialist Equality Party is emblematic of the broader struggle for democratic rights and against exploitation, a sentiment echoed by the International Youth and Students for Social Equality in the US and worldwide.
They have called upon supporters to join the fight in defense of public education and to express opposition to the attack by sending protest letters to the relevant Sri Lankan authorities.