We are activists, workers, students, intellectuals, artists and internationalists who live in France and in various countries of the world due to economic, social or political conditions.We salute the first victory won by the people at home.
We salute the general strikes (haartal) on 28 April and on 9 May called by all the trade union organisations.
We salute the mobilisation on 9 July of the people in Colombo who, on a united basis between Sinhalese, Tamils, Muslims and all faiths and ethnicities, drove away the President and forced the Prime Minister to resign.
The people rose up because they couldn’t stand it any longer, because they want to be able to eat, to have electricity in their homes, to be able to obtain medicines and petrol.
We heard the slogans in the demonstrations: "Seventy-four years is enough! "Enough of the divisions! "Power to the people!"
Yes, the people are right. The President has left. All the institutions of which he was the heart must go with him. The interim President has no mandate to call on the army to repress the people. We firmly condemn comments saying that “the protestors are fascists”. We warn him that any attempt to repress the people in a bloodbath will provoke massive mobilisations in all capitals of the world until the Sri Lankan people have achieved total victory.
All political prisoners must be amnestied. The members of the law enforcement agencies and the military who refused to fire on the people must be reinstated with full compensation.
Seventy-four years ago, the question of the Constituent assembly was raised. It is being raised again today. The people were able to drive the corrupt out of power. They have the capacity to run the country.
