Jaffna community comes together to condemn Easter Sunday attacks

In a statement pertaining to the Easter Sunday attacks on churches and hotels, the Jaffna community consisting of Christian, Hindu, Buddhist and Muslim leaders, community leaders and activists came together to condemn the attacks. The full statement is as follows. 

As Jaffna residents of different religious and ethnic communities, we strongly condemn the horrendous attacks which took place on Easter Sunday. Our heartfelt sympathies are with the families who have lost loved ones, the injured and the traumatised all over Sri Lanka. 

We have had a long history of people living together before, during and after the War. Since the end of the War 10 years ago, ordinary people have shown determination to strengthen relations amongst communities. However, there are narrow and belligerent religious and ethno-nationalist forces that are attempting to divide our communities. Those forces of division should be defeated, and all people of genuine faiths and progressive ideologies should now rise to this challenge. 

We call upon the Government to protect the people and all political actors to place the safety of people first and desist from making political gain out of this tragedy. We urge that democratic values are preserved and the prevailing climate of fear is not used to impose draconian measures of control, to bring in majoritarian policies or to further militarise society. 

We demand the national and international media to be principled in its journalism, refrain from spreading inflammatory rhetoric and rumours, and contribute towards building trust amongst communities. 

We are deeply concerned by the rise of racist and extremist forces fuelled by both internal and external actors. This tragedy is a wakeup call to all people in our country to reaffirm their commitment to co-existence, peace and justice. 

In Jaffna, as in other parts of the country, there are dangers of a backlash against the Muslim community. We call on all communities and their leaders to actively oppose any form of violence and hate speech, and strengthen day-to-day relations amongst communities with mutual respect and dignity.

In this time of fear and national tragedy, our grief should strengthen our resolve for freedom and affirm our commitment to a plural and democratic society.