evidence: On the morning of Monday 8th, hundreds of pro-Rajapaksa goons and lumpen bands on the government’s payroll, armed with batons, sticks and metal rods, violently assaulted two anti-government protest sites in the capital Colombo. Coming out of a meeting led by then Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa at his official residence in Temple Trees, they molested people protesting for weeks in front of the residence and destroyed their camp, before descending onto the "GotaGoGama" (GGG) occupation facing the Presidential building at Galle Face Green, one kilometer away along the seaside. Erected a month ago, this encampment had become a symbol of defiance to the regime’s authority, and a daily rallying point for all layers supporting the mass movement. The mob of pro-regime thugs unleashed extreme violence on the protesters present, torching tents and banners and bloodily beating many people. The police, present in large numbers, largely watched as the scene was taking place. "The police didn’t want to do anything" reported a Tamil woman witness to the events, adding that she was explicitly targeted for her ethnic background and endured chauvinist slurs. "We lost a lot of personal belongings, as they burnt our tents, our clothes, our blankets, everything" explained other protesters present during the assault. Dozens of them were critically injured and one youth was pronounced permanently paralysed afterwards.