Bodu Bala Sena, () also abbreviated as BBS is a far-right ultranationalist Sinhalese Buddhist organization, and a break-away faction from the right-wing nationalist Jathika Hela Urumaya party. The BBS generally opposes pluralist and democratic ideologies, and criticizes moderate Buddhists for their alleged inaction against the rise of other religions in Sri Lanka.
History
Foundation The BBS was founded by monks Kirama Wimalajothi and Galagoda Aththe Gnanasaara after they broke away from Jathika Hela Urumaya (JHU). Gnanasara had been one of the JHU candidates in Colombo District at the 2004 parliamentary election. One of the earliest campaigns by BBS was in respect of Buddhist Sri Lankans working in the Middle East who, according to BBS, were prevented from practising their religion and punished harshly if found to be doing so.
The BBS held its first national convention at the Bandaranaike Memorial International Conference Hall on 28 July 2012. The convention passed five resolutions which, amongst other things, called for a ban on vasectomy and tubal ligation in government health facilities, replacement of the various legal systems used in the country with a single legal system, preferential treatment in university admission for students who attended Buddhism classes, use of monks in government schools to teach history and other classes, and the avoidance of any race- or religion-based solution for the country's ethnic problems.
The BBS held a protest at the Bangladeshi High Commission in Colombo on 4 October 2012 against the anti-Buddhist riots in Bangladesh. Some of the protesters threw stones and bottles at the High Commission.
On 14 October 2012 BBS stormed a house in Batakettara, Homagama, Piliyandala where it alleges a Christian pastor called Dinesh and others from an evangelical group called The Name of Lord Jesus were trying to convert Sinhalese Buddhists. The pastor was later released, but seven people were arrested on charges of abduction after complaints were made by the pastor's family. The following day BBS held a protest outside Piliyandala Police Station demanding that the seven arrested be released.
The BBS held a protest rally in Badulla on 25 October 2012 against alleged conversion, vandalism of Buddhist sites and Islamic terrorism. They held a protest at the Department of Archeology on 29 November 2012 urging the authorities to protect archaeological sites in the Eastern Province.
The BBS stormed Sri Lanka Law College in Hultsdorf, Colombo on 7 January 2013, alleging that exam results were being distorted in favour of Muslim students. The allegations were not true but the college was forced to delay new student registration by one week in order to investigate the allegations.
The BBS stormed the Cinnamon Bay Hotel in Moragalla, Beruwala on 21 January 2013, alleging that the premises contained a "Buddha bar" (associating sacred symbols with such places as bars is considered sacrilege). Two hotel managers were arrested by the police for organising the "Buddha bar" event.
President Mahinda Rajapaksa and government ministers met with the BBS on 27 January 2013 at Temple Trees, Colombo. After the meeting the President issued a statement which urged the BBS and other monks to avoid conflicts with other religious communities but this statement was only issued in English, not Sinhala which is the language of most BBS supporters.
The opposition United National Party met with the BBS on 12 February 2013.
The BBS organised a meeting in Maharagama, Colombo on 17 February 2013 which was attended by around 16,000 people including 1,300 monks. At the rally the BBS general secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara stated "This is a government created by Sinhala Buddhists and it must remain Sinhala Buddhist. This is a Sinhala country, Sinhala government. Democratic and pluralistic values are killing the Sinhala race". He also told the crowd at the rally that they "must become an unofficial civilian police force against Muslim extremism. These so-called democrats are destroying the Sinhala race". At the rally the BBS unveiled the "Maharagama Declaration", a ten-point resolution which, other than an end to halal certification, called for a ban on Sri Lankan women going to work in the Middle East; end of mosque building financed by the Middle East; and ban some contraceptives.
In February 2013 former BBS leader Kirama Wimalajothi called for a ban on burqas in the country. The BBS has also campaigned against the abaya.
The BBS met Lieutenant General Jagath Jayasuriya, Major General Shavendra Silva and others from the Sri Lanka Army in late February 2013 to discuss extremist Muslim groups that the BBS alleged were operating in the country. BBS also met with IGP N. K. Illangakoon from the police on 1 March 2013 to discuss the same issues.
Meth Sevana, the BBS's cultural and training centre in Pilana, Wanchawala, Galle District, was officially opened on 9 March 2013 by chief guest Defence Secretary Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, brother of President Mahinda Rajapaksa.
The BBS held a rally in Kandy on 17 March 2013 at which it announced that it would work to remove a 10th-century mosque at the Kuragala Buddhist monastery complex in Ratnapura District. At the rally BBS alleged that Muslim fundamentalists had taken over the site and destroyed Buddhist heritage. BBS general secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara accused the Muslim owned Fashion Bug and No Limit retail chains of converting its Buddhist Sinhalese employees to Islam.
The BBS held a rally in Panadura on 24 March 2013 at which it called on the country to rally against Christian and Muslim extremists, insisting Sri Lanka was a Sinhala Buddhist country, not a multiracial or multi-religious country. At the rally BBS called for High Commissioner Ferial Ashraff to be recalled from Singapore for allegedly carrying out anti-Sinhala activities. At the rally BBS announced that a ringtone could be downloaded from Mobitel, the state-owned mobile phone operator, which would raise funds for BBS. This caused protests from Mobitel customers and the company was forced to apologise for causing "emotional distress".
A nationwide protest by Muslims against the BBS and JHU was held on 25 March 2013. The protests were organised by the Muslim Rights Organization (MRO). A hartal was observed in the Eastern Province on the same day against the BBS's anti-Muslim stance.
The Muslim owned Fashion Bug clothes shop in Pepiliyana, Colombo District was attacked on 28 March 2013 by a mob led by Buddhist monks. Some reports suggested that BBS was behind the attack. BBS denied any involvement and condemned the attack.
On 31 March 2013 it was reported that the government was going to ban a number of groups including the BBS. Reacting to the reports, BBS general secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara described Minister of National Languages and Social Integration Vasudeva Nanayakkara as a disgrace and a peacenik, saying "Such ministers should be sent to Angoda once in three months, to have their heads examined". Nanayakkara denied the reports, saying that the government was not going to ban extremist groups like the BBS, it was only considering banning hate speech.
In April 2013 a group of BBS members led by general secretary Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara visited the US to raise awareness of the organisation and counter its negative image.
In August 2014 Gnanasara Thera criticised the Government for allowing the Sri Lanka Thowheed Jamath (SLTJ) to carry out protests against Israel due to the ongoing Gaza war. The Thera noted that Israel supplied a range of armaments, including Kfir jets, Dvora and Shaldag class fast attack craft, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, anti-missile systems for Mi-24 helicopter gunships as well as combat training.
In 2014, Gnanasara Thera and the BBS signed a pact with Myanmar's Ashin Wirathu and the 969 Movement to build a Buddhist Alliance in order to protect the Buddha Sasana. They also invited all "peace loving people" from other religions, including Muslims and Christians. However Wirathu and the 696 Movement is accused of being key figures in Myanmar's anti-Muslim riots and massacres. The President of the Hindu Federation N. Arunakanth was also present and stated that they were in discussions with several Indian Hindu organisations as well.
In 2019, Gnanasara Thera and the BBS joined the islandwide protests by various organisations and religious leaders led by the fasting protest of Athuraliye Rathana Thera against Muslim minister Rishad Bathiudeen and governors Azath Salley and M. L. A. M Hizbullah over their alleged ties to Islamists, demanding their resignations . On the same day All of Sri Lanka's Muslim ministers and their deputies resigned from their portfolios for a month and asked the allegations to be proven within that time. Until they return their ministries would be handled by the PM. However Gnanasara later criticised Rathana Thera for taking issues into his own hands which according to him swept the "main issues" under the carpet. He also noted that the protest should have been held earlier in the immediate aftermath of the 2019 Easter Bombings and doing it now could push the traditional Muslims into extremism.
Organization Galagoda Aththe Gnanasara and Dilanthe Withanage are the General Secretary and Chief Executive Officer of BBS respectively. Its headquarters are located at Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi Mandira in Colombo. Sri Sambuddha Jayanthi Mandira is owned by the Buddhist Cultural Centre, an organisation also founded by former leader Kirama Wimalajothi. The Buddhist Cultural Centre was opened by President Mahinda Rajapaksa on 15 May 2011.
Affiliations and ideology The BBS alongside Ravana Balaya, Sinhala Ravaya and Mahasohon Balakaya are among a new wave of organisations in Sri Lanka that push a "new brand" of Nationalism with a greater emphasis of religion with more militant tendencies to protect the motherland. The Bodu Bala Sena claims to operate alongside the Sinhala Rawaya and the Ravana Balaya in the far-right campaign Sinha Le, which opposes the LGBTQ+ community, Islam, and Tamil Eelam. The organisation attracts support from "hot blooded" Monks and lower middle class youth.
Halal certification issue
In February 2013 the BBS started a campaign against the halal certifying system in the country. In Sri Lanka, halal certification is carried out by the All Ceylon Jamiyyathul Ulama (ACJU), the group of Islamic clerics, to Sri Lanka. Certificates are only issued to businesses that request it, and the certificate is issued for a fee where the contributions are used by the ACJU to fund Islamic religious activities. The BBS initially threatened to take the ACJU to court. Later they threatened to launch a campaign of agitation against halal certification, stating "they [the Muslims] are trying to impose their ritualistic food products upon this country. The next plan is to bring about Sharia law. Already there is Muslim banking system in the country." At the rally in Maharagama on 17 February 2013 the BBS announced that it was calling for the abolition of the halal certifying system, demanding that shops be cleared of halal meat by April.
In late February 2013 the ACJU offered to hand over responsibility for halal certifying to the government but this was rejected by the BBS who called for the complete eradication halal certification in the country. The BBS slammed the ACJU as "arrogant, corrupt, thieving, underworld thugs". The government also refused to take over halal certification due to the pressure exerted by the BBS.