evidence: On 9 May, the aragalaya encountered its first major challenge when angry government supporters destroyed the GotaGoGama encampment, beating protesters as police largely stood by.[2] More surprising than the attack was the sight of protesters fighting back, leading the pro-government mob to flee. Later that evening, across the country, anti-government protesters attacked the homes of roughly 100 ruling-party politicians, burning many to the ground. Who exactly organised the retributive violence remains unclear, but it tarnished the aragalaya’s reputation as peaceful and hardened attitudes among government and ruling party officials toward the movement.[3] The next day, Mahinda Rajapaksa resigned as his brother’s prime minister. On 11 May, after intense negotiations, the president appointed Wickremesinghe, leader of the once powerful United National Party (UNP), as prime minister.[4] [...] [5] Wickremesinghe and police blame the protesters, but no one has ever been arrested and no concrete evidence about such a link has been presented. Nonetheless, Wickremesinghe regularly cites the fire as an example of the dangers arising from the protest movement. See "President sets ambitious timeline for Sri Lanka’s debt restructuring and reconciliation efforts", Presidential Media Division, 22 June 2023. [...] III. The Wickremesinghe Presidency