The head of Sri Lanka’s Catholic Church appealed for calm on Monday after sporadic violence between Christian and Muslims north of Colombo prompted police to impose a curfew.
In the first such violence since the Easter Sunday bombings of three churches and three hotels by Islamist extremists that killed 257 people, several Muslim homes and vehicles were damaged in Negombo.
Authorities have yet to confirm any arrests or injuries in the clashes, but videos circulated on social media showed mobs throwing stones at Muslim businesses, destroyed furniture inside homes, shattered windows and overturned vehicles.
AFP was unable to immediately verify the footage.
A few hundred extra troops and police were deployed late Sunday as authorities imposed a night-time curfew in the town.
“I appeal to all Christians, Buddhists and Muslims to be patient, show restraint and ensure the peace we maintained after the Easter bombings,” Cardinal Malcolm Ranjith said on national television on Monday.
The government blocked access to social media platforms such as WhatsApp and Facebook to prevent what it called the spread of rumours and videos aimed at instigating religious riots.