Eritreans Clash in Israel
Read Time:2 Minute, 27 Second
Over 100 injured after Eritreans clash in Israel ‘s capital Tel Aviv between anti-regime and government supporters
More than 100 people were injured in violent clashes in Tel Aviv between Eritrean government supporters celebrating an Eritrea Day event and opponents of President Isaias Afwerki.
Israeli police fired stun grenades to break up the clashes, while some protesters hurled stones at police and set fire to trash bins, Reuters journalists at the scene said. Footage on social media showed Eritrean government supporters beating anti-government protesters with clubs.
Protesters hold sticks and flags near members of Israeli security forces during violent demonstrations by Eritrean asylum seekers, including both supporters and opponents of the Eritrean government, in Tel Aviv, Israel, September 2, 2023.
Israeli medical officials said more than 114 people had been treated for injuries, including about 30 police officers.
The violence broke out around an event organised by the Eritrean embassy to mark Revolution Day on Sept. 1, which commemorates the start of the Eritrean War of Independence with the Battle of Adal, when Hamid Idris Awate and his companions fired the first shots against the occupying Ethiopian Army and police.
This marked the start of the Eritrean War for Independence, which would continue until May 1991, when the Eritreans overthrew the People’s Democratic Republic of Ethiopia in Eritrea and helped a coalition of Ethiopian rebel forces take control of the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa.
Isaias, 77, has ruled since Eritrea gained independence in 1993. Human rights groups have condemned his government as being highly repressive and the country is under U.S. and EU sanctions for alleged abuses.
“Why did we run from our country?,” one protester in Tel Aviv, Hagos Gavriot, told Reuters. “Why the Israeli police gave them a permit to celebrate…for this dictator? We are against this. Why am I here seeking a shelter?”
Isaias with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin in Moscow on 31 May 2023
Many of the anti-government protesters wore sky blue shirts designed after Eritrea’s 1952 flag, a symbol of opposition to the government of the east African country, while government supporters wore purple shirts with a map of Eritrea.
Eritrea’s government has denounced anti-government protesters as “asylum scum” who have marched against similar events in Europe and North America.
Reuters journalists saw men with head wounds and bloodied arms, some lying on the ground of a children’s playground. Police marched through the streets firing stun grenades at protesters.
“At this time, large police and Border Police forces continue to operate against lawbreakers in the Tel Aviv area,” an Israeli police statement said.
About 25,500 Eritrean asylum seekers currently live in Israel, according to Assaf, an organization that aids refugees.
Eritreans who fled to Israel over its border with Egypt say they will face persecution if they are repatriated. Eritrea requires exit permits for its citizens and has a mandatory military draft.
Source Reuters/AFP
Happy
0 %
Sad
0 %
Excited
0 %
Sleepy
0 %
Angry
0 %
Surprise
0 %
0
0
Average Rating