50 people injured
Violence escalates at Eritrea Festival in Stockholm
08/04/2023, 01:40 am
Riot in Stockholm: Around 1,000 people protest against an Eritrea festival, which they regard as a propaganda tool of the regime. The situation spirals out of control and chaotic scenes unfold. The events are reminiscent of an incident in Germany a few weeks ago.
More than 50 people were injured in violent riots on the sidelines of an Eritrean cultural festival in Stockholm, including at least eight seriously. Swedish media reported about 1,000 demonstrators who gathered in the north of the city and threw stones at police officers. Footage showed fires at the festival site, vehicles set on fire and destroyed, and men armed with sticks. Eyewitnesses and reporters on site spoke of chaotic scenes and fights. According to the police, around 180 people were arrested, and one person was arrested on suspicion of arson.
By early evening, the police counted a total of 52 people with injuries of varying severity. The Stockholm region spoke of 15 people who had been taken to the hospital, including eight seriously injured. A police spokesman told broadcaster SVT that three police officers were also injured. The police began investigations into violent riots, arson and serious sabotage by the emergency services.
The festival has been held for years on a meadow in the north of the Swedish capital. According to the police, it is a meeting with seminars, debates, singing competitions and a fair, among other things. There was another meeting right next to the site, where the riots began. As the newspaper “Dagens Nyheter” reported, the festival has been criticized in the past for inviting guests who support the political leadership in Eritrea.
Opponents of the dictatorship feel provoked
A good three and a half weeks ago there had been similar scenes in Gießen, Hesse: Opponents of an Eritrea festival had also had violent clashes with the police there. At least 26 police officers were injured. The organizer, the association Central Council of Eritreans in Germany, is considered to be close to the government, which is why the festival was controversial. According to Swedish media, the festival in Stockholm, which is dedicated to Eritrea’s cultural heritage, is also intended to provide a stage for government propaganda and a source of money for the power apparatus.
Eritrea, with around three million inhabitants, is located in north-east Africa on the Red Sea and is largely isolated internationally. President Isayas Afewerki has ruled the country in a one-party dictatorship for 30 years since independence was won from Ethiopia in a decades-long war. Political parties are banned, and freedom of speech and freedom of the press are severely restricted. There is no parliament, independent courts or civil society organizations. In addition, there is a strict military service and forced labor system, from which many people flee abroad.