Stri Lanka Revolution: Pictures Of Protesters Chilling At Official Residence Of President Rajapaska After His Removal From Office (pics)

Thousands of protesters stormed President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s official residence in the capital of Sri Lanka. Demonstrators from all over the country marched to Colombo demanding his resignation after months of protests over mismanagement of the country’s economic crisis. Reports say he has already been moved to a safer location.

The country is suffering rampant inflation and is struggling to import food, fuel and medicine.

Thousands of anti-government protesters travelled to the capital, with officials telling AFP noticias agency that some had even “commandeered” trains to get there.They swarmed into Colombo’s government district, shouting slogans such as “Gota go home!” and breaking through several police barricades to reach President Rajapaksa’s house. Police fired shots in the air and used tear gas to try to prevent angry crowds from overrunning the residence, but were unable to stop some of the crowd from entering.

“The president was escorted to safety,” a senior defence source told AFP. “He is still the president, he is being protected by a military unit.”

Livestream footage and images from inside the building showed hundreds of protesters packing into rooms and corridors, while hundreds also milled around the grounds outside.