‘Occupy the Square’ against cultural policing

A public gathering has been organized to protest against the removal of a couple from the Independence Square in Colombo today(6).

A video of the incident, which was widely shared on social media, shows two security officers attempting to evict the said couple, stating that they are ordered to do so by the Cultural Affairs Department.

According to the video, the couple demands to know the wrongdoing they committed, to which the security officers were unable to answer coherently. Mirshad Buckman, who shared the video online said in a Facebook post that he and his girlfriend were “just sitting and chilling at Independence Square” when they were asked to leave. A social media movement has started under the slogan ‘Occupy the Square’ requesting people to gather at the Independence Square today at 4.00pm in protest of this seemingly unlawful eviction.

Police Media Spokesperson ASP Ruwan Gunasekara said, the matter is open for dispute as there isn’t any evidence as to how the couple behaved before they were asked to leave by the security officers. The administrative bodies of public locations such as the Independence Square can establish regulations which people should adhere to, but those said administrative bodies should take actions to display those regulations clearly so as not to cause any inconveniences.

The constitution does not penalize public display of affection, even though Section 365A of the Penal Code states that “acts of gross indecency” is a crime, an interpretation that includes homosexuality. However, Section 7 of Vagrants Ordinance states that “soliciting and acts of indecency in public places” is a punishable offence though public indecency is not defined.