Colombo, Aug. 17 (Reuters): Protesters calling for an end to recent violence in Sri Lanka found themselves brawling with hardline Buddhist monks today, after a rally dubbed a “peace protest” turned unexpectedly violent.

Organisers said there were around 1,000 people in a park in Colombo, listening to a range of speakers, when hardline, saffron-robed monks opposed to concessions to Tamil Tiger rebels mounted the stage and erected banners.

Some more moderate Buddhist monks were already on the stage when punches were thrown. Soon, monks’ robes and fists were flying, although no one was badly hurt, witnesses said.

“They were saying we should go to war,” said pro-peace monk Madampawe Assagee. “We like to listen to other opinions so we let them do that but then they started fighting and we couldn’t control some of our people. They tried to make it a big fight but we settled it in a few minutes.”