Sri Lanka 'white party' organised by Russian expats faces racism backlash

28 February 2024 , 09:44

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The party was due to be held in Unawatuna (Image: ullstein bild via Getty Images)

A group of Russian ex-pats have apologised after a "white party" event in Sri Lanka sparked backlash online over claims it was racist.

The party's advert not only had a dress code, telling guests to wear white, but also had a line saying their would be "Face control: White" - largely believed to mean it was only for white people. The party, which was due to be heard at Sarayka Lounge in the southern coastal town of Unawatuna, has now been cancelled after it was branded racist and disgusting.

A local restaurant owner said: "I know not all expats are like this... but this sort of thing should be stopped fast and stopped hard." Another person wrote on social media: "How dare they come to a brown country and ban the people of that country."

The venue later posted a statement, first posted in Russian and later in English, saying: We want to explain. The post read: "The party planned for Saturday will not take place. We have urgently cancelled this event. Also, we have severed ties with the organisers who planned this party at our venue.

"We are a bar and provide our premises for various events. This time we did not conduct a thorough enough check. We have never supported and will never support various racist statements or organisations. We apologise!"

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The organisers later admitted the party was a "bad idea". They said: "We wanted to meet expats who have been living here for a long time and love Sri Lanka. The team... supported me and a joint decision was made to quickly organise a party," he said, adding that he has since had to leave the country after receiving a barrage of abuse and threats.

"I didn't expect this to be such a sensitive moment for a huge number of people. I admit that it was a bad idea... and I understand that we created it ourselves out of our stupidity. I deeply apologise to everyone whose feelings were hurt."

Rupasena Koswatta, president of an Unawatuna entrepreneurs' association told BBC Sinhala many Russians have moved into Unawatuna, in the last two years. Many of the tourism businesses there are now owned by Russians in the area now known by many as "Little Moscow".

More than 288,000 Russians and nearly 20,000 Ukrainians have travelled to Sri Lanka since Moscow's invasion of Ukraine, according to reports.

Kelly-Ann Mills