Video Showing PM Harini Amarasuriya Protesting Over Fuel Prices Is From 2021

A video circulating on social media purportedly shows Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya wearing a mask and speaking to the media during a protest. The Sinhala caption shared with the video claims that she is currently protesting against the increase in fuel prices, imposed by the present NPP government.

The video clip is circulating on social media platforms like TikTok and Facebook, and the posts can be seen here, here, here, and here.

Evidence

To verify the claim, we first checked whether there were any recent reports in mainstream media about Amarasuriya participating in a protest against the current government’s fuel price hike and found no such records.

We also noticed that in the viral video, the people participating in the protest, including Harini Amarasuriya, wore face masks. This suggests that the footage was likely recorded during or shortly after the COVID-19 period, raising doubts about the claim that it is recent.

To confirm the authenticity of the video, we conducted a reverse image search using key frames, which led us to a News First video segment. The news video confirms that the footage is from July 14, 2021, when Amarasuriya took part in a protest organised by the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP) in Maharagama.

The JVP Sri Lanka official YouTube channel also posted a longer version of the protest video on July 15, 2021, with the caption “WFR protest at Maharagama, 14.07.2021,” confirming the date and context of the footage.

We also found several other news reports published on the same date, which confirm her participation in the Maharagama protest in 2021. These reports show that the protest was held against rising fuel prices and other costs during the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration. The news reports can be seen here and here.

Context

Global tensions, including the conflict involving Iran, the US, and Israel that escalated on February 28, have affected global trade and raised concerns about energy security. In Sri Lanka, the current NPP government has said it is taking steps to prevent a repeat of the severe economic crisis experienced during the Rajapaksa administration in 2022. Despite this, old protest footage from 2021 is being reshared on social media and misleadingly linked to the current fuel price issues, creating confusion.

Verdict

The viral video claiming to show Prime Minister Harini Amarasuriya protesting against a fuel price hike by the current NPP government is misleading. She has not taken part in any recent protests on this issue. The video is from 2021 and shows her participating in a protest organised by the JVP against the rising prices under the Gotabaya Rajapaksa administration.

FAQs

Q1. Is Harini Amarasuriya currently protesting against fuel price hikes?
No. She has not participated in any recent protests against the increase in fuel prices under the current NPP government.

Q2. When was the video actually recorded?
The video is from July 14, 2021, during a protest organised by the JVP in Maharagama.

Q3. Why is the video being shared now?
Old footage from 2021 is being reshared on social media and misleadingly linked to current fuel price issues, creating confusion.

Our Sources
News First YouTube video published on July 14, 2021
JVP Sri Lanka official YouTube channel video published on July 15, 2021
News article published on the Sunday Lankadeepa website on July 21, 2021
News article published on the Daily Reporter website on July 21, 2021