Political punches: Brawl breaks out during Sri Lankan parliamentary session (VIDEO)
A parliamentary session in Sri Lanka turned into a fighting ring after a brawl broke out between MPs. One lawmaker was hospitalized and others have been accused of making threats with a knife.
The violence took place for almost 20 minutes during a Thursday morning session, after supporters of disputed Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa charged towards the parliament's speaker, Karu Jayasuriya.
They were countered by MPs loyal to Ranil Wickremesinghe, who was dismissed from his position as prime minister by the president in late October, in what his supporters call a political coup.
Footage from the violent session shows MPs engaged in a rowdy scuffle, pushing and shoving each other as some fell to the ground and others tried to jump in the middle and act as peacemakers.
Rajapaksa loyalist Dilum Amunugama was cut as he tried to take the speaker's microphone and was later admitted to a nearby hospital in Colombo. Some MPs reportedly threw wastepaper baskets and water bottles.
Meanwhile, MPs Ranjan Ramanayake and Palitha Thewarapperuma reportedly threatened other lawmakers with a knife.
“Both Ranjan Ramanayake and Palitha Thewarapperuma threatened me with a knife inside the chamber. When I brought Speaker’s attention to this, he said not knives but swords should be brought in because of the current state of affairs,” MP Indika Anuruddha said, as quoted by local news outlet the Daily Mirror. He added that he has filed a police complaint.
Despite the utter chaos, Speaker Jayasuriya appears to look amused at one point – even though the whole incident started by people running at him.
The Sri Lankan government has been in turmoil since President Maithripala Sirisena sacked Wickremesinghe for trying to implement a “new, extreme, liberal political concept” and neglecting the desires of the people.
The president replaced the ousted prime minister with Rajapaksa, but parliament passed a no-confidence motion against Rajapaksa in a voice vote on Wednesday, followed by a signed document. However, President Sirisena said he could not accept that vote as it appeared to ignore the constitution, parliamentary procedure, and tradition.
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