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Fact Check
A TikTok video shows MP Samantha Vidyarathna protesting against the current government over rising fuel prices and living costs.
The video is from June 22, 2021, and shows a protest in Badulla against policies under former president Gotabaya Rajapaksa.
A video circulating on TikTok shows Samantha Vidyarathna, now serving as Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, addressing the media during a protest. The Sinhala caption claims that he is criticising the government over rising fuel prices, food costs, and economic hardships, and urges leaders to step down if they cannot govern.
The videos, shared in March 2026, suggest that his remarks relate to the current fuel crisis linked to global tensions, including conflicts involving the US, Israel, and Iran. This framing creates the impression that Vidyarathna, in his current role as a government minister, is criticising the present administration.
To verify the claim, we first checked whether there were any recent reports in mainstream media about Samantha Vidyarathna participating in protests against the current government’s fuel price hike and found no such records.
We also noticed that people in the video were wearing face masks, suggesting the footage was recorded during or shortly after the COVID-19 period, raising doubts about it being recent.
Through keyframe analysis, we traced the video to a Facebook post published on June 22, 2021, by “JVP Italia,” which shared images from the same protest and confirmed it was part of a nationwide campaign by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) against rising fuel prices and the cost of living, including a protest in Badulla led by Vidyarathna.
We further verified that the footage was aired on News First Sri Lanka’s Sinhala and English prime-time news on the same date, confirming the timing and context.
At the time, the protest was directed against policies introduced under the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration, particularly the fertiliser ban, confirming that the video predates his current ministerial role.
Global tensions involving the United States, Israel, and Iran have contributed to concerns about fuel prices and economic stability. In Sri Lanka, these developments have renewed discussions around the cost of living. Amid this, old protest footage from 2021 is being reshared and misleadingly linked to current events, creating confusion.
A viral video claiming to show Samantha Vidyarathna protesting against the current government over rising fuel prices and living costs is misleading. The video is from 2021.06.22, against policies introduced under the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration, before Samantha Viddyarathana became Minister of Plantation and Community Infrastructure, and is unrelated to the current government and fuel crisis.
FAQs
Q1. Is Samantha Vidyarathna currently protesting against fuel prices and living costs?
No. He has not participated in any recent protests against the current government’s policies on fuel prices or cost of living.
Q2. When was the video actually recorded?
The video is from June 22, 2021, during a protest in Badulla organised by the JVP against policies under former President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, including the fertiliser ban.
Q3. Why is this video being shared now?
Old footage from 2021 is being reshared on social media and misleadingly linked to the current fuel crisis, creating confusion about Samantha Vidyarathna’s present political position.
Our sources
Facebook post by “JVP Italia” published on June 22, 2021
YouTube video of News First Sri Lanka Sinhala Prime Time News aired on June 22, 2021.
YouTube video of News First Sri Lanka English Prime Time News aired on June 22, 2021.
Misleading
