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Fact Check
Two videos claiming to be of a 2025 ‘Aragalaya’ or citizens’ protest happening at Galle Face Green in Colombo.
These videos are from the 2022 Aragalaya movement against the Rajapaksa regime, not 2025.
Two videos are being widely shared on social media platforms, especially TikTok, claiming to show a resurgent Aragalaya struggle, referring to the 2022 citizen’s protest. Both videos carry the text “Aragalaya 2025” in Sinhala.
The term Aragalaya translates to ‘the struggle’ and is popularly used to refer to the 2022 citizens’ protests, where citizens of Sri Lanka gathered in public to protest against the extreme economic crisis faced by the country under the Gotabaya Rajapaksa regime.
One such TikTok, posted by the handle @rashmikakariya05 shows Gotagogama in Galle Face Green in Colombo, the epicentre of the protests in front of the Presidential Secretariat, where protesters camped in tents until the President, Prime Minister, and other officials were forced to resign from their roles.
Another TikTok posted by the same account shows popular musician Charitha Attalage preparing for a projection mapping onto the Presidential Secretariat building. The text in Sinhala on the reel says “Thank you, Charitha Attalage! Aragalaya 2025.” The text in English says “Let’s take a moment to appreciate him for Project Mapping at Presidential Secretariat!”
Claim 1
Upon conducting a reverse image search on several key frames of the video, we noticed that this reel was originally posted by a TikTok account named @bcvibesss on April 11, 2022 during the 2022 Aragalaya times and not in 2025.
It was also posted on Facebook by another account Thihariya-Memes, which posted regular updates about the Aragalaya on the same day. These findings thus prove that the video is not recent and shows the 2022 Aragalaya.
Claim 2:
Through a keyword search of the words “Charitha Attalage”, “Aragalaya” and “projection mapping”, we found an Instagram post of Attalage from April 18, 2022, which revealed that Attalage had indeed participated in organising this projection mapping in Gotagogama, in front of the Presidential Secretariat on April 17, 2022.
We also found multiple news reports about the projection mapping done by a non-partisan group of creative professionals during the 2022 Aragalaya. They can be seen here, and here.
The Insta post by Attalage and the relevant news reports confirm that the video is from 2022, and not recent.
Moreover, there are currently no tents in the location and the area designated as Gotagogama in Galle Face Green was cleared out by the then President Ranil Wickremesinghe after he took over as the Executive President of Sri Lanka in late 2022.
Hence, we find that the viral videos are from the 2022 Aragalaya movement against the Rajapaksa regime, not 2025.
Our Sources
Reel on TikTok account @bcvibesss, posted on April 11, 2022
Video on Facebook account Thihariya – Memes, posted on April 11, 2022
Post about the projection mapping at the Presidential Secretariat, posted on the official Instagram account of Charitha Attalage, April 18, 2022
Video of the projection mapping at the Presidential Secretariat, posted on the YouTube channel of Dinuka Lankaloka, April 18, 2022
‘(PICTURES) Video projection mapping lights up President’s Office in Sri Lanka’, on NewsFirst Sri Lanka, published on April 17, 2022
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