Sri Lanka: Government blocks social networks due to spread of anti-Muslim sentiment

(Patria) – Sri Lanka has temporarily blocked social media and messaging apps such as WhatsApp following the most severe attacks so far on mosques, homes and businesses owned by Muslims.

Since the attacks on churches and hotels on Easter Sunday by Islamist militants, in which more than 250 people lost their lives, fear is growing among the Muslim population in the country of an escalation of sectarian violence.

Reuters quotes the director general of the government's information department, who stated that 'social media have been blocked again as a temporary measure aimed at maintaining peace in the country'.

Also blocked are the apps Viber, Snapchat, IMO, Instagram and YouTube.

Recently, the number of attacks on mosques, homes and shops owned by Muslims has been rising, and one person was beaten in the town of Chilaw, in a dispute that started on Facebook, Reuters reports.

A night curfew has also been imposed to make it easier to control the situation on the streets.

Unofficial sources state that the attacks escalated due to the police's slowness to intervene, and even a complete lack of action in some cases.

There is also fear that the Sri Lankan government, which did not take security measures regarding the attacks by Islamist militants on churches despite having prior warnings, has not located or arrested all the militants responsible for the attacks.