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Hundreds arrested after riot at Eritrea festival
07/08/2023 11:21 p.m
26 injured police officers and a hundred investigations initiated – that is the balance after the riots during the Eritrea Festival in Giessen. The Hessian Minister of the Interior, Beuth, then called for the ambassador of the East African country to be summoned.
Opponents of an Eritrea festival in Giessen got into violent clashes with the police. At least 26 police officers were injured, but the majority of them continued to work, according to the Central Hesse police headquarters. “The colleagues were massively attacked, stones thrown, bottles thrown, smoke bombs,” said a police spokesman. More than 1000 police officers were on duty. The organizer, the association Central Council of Eritreans in Germany, is considered to be close to the government. The festival is therefore controversial. In August 2022, violent riots broke out at the previous event.
The police had been preparing for a large-scale situation and the arrival of potentially violent opponents of the event for days. The city of Gießen had initially banned the festival due to security concerns. This was overturned by the Gießen administrative court. On Friday, the Hessian Administrative Court confirmed this first-instance decision.
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 from Ethiopia was won 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.
Hundreds of investigations initiated
According to the police, groups of people of different strengths in Gießen had been noticed by riots in different places since the early morning. A total of one hundred investigations were initiated, among other things, for bodily harm and serious breaches of the peace. The police officers checked more than 400 people and issued a ban on a large number of them. Around a hundred people were taken into custody, some of whom had traveled from other European countries. According to the federal police, the construction of a Molotov cocktail was prevented.
In the meantime, the police had advised via Twitter to avoid the city area and drive around it as the emergency services would have to be relocated to many different places due to the dynamic situation. The police said in the late afternoon that the situation had calmed down again. A rally with around 250 participants in the afternoon also went without major incidents. When around 150 people blocked a street, the authorities ended the meeting.
No bystanders injured
According to previous knowledge, no bystanders were injured, the police headquarters said in the evening. “In this context, the rescue control center is not aware of any persons who participated in the acts of violence or attended the event with serious injuries.” The two-day festival was held in the Hessenhalle, which is a bit outside of the city center on the other side of the Lahn. The Central Council of Eritreans in Germany expected around 2,500 visitors on Saturday and Sunday.
According to a Gießen city spokeswoman, the festival moved from Frankfurt to Gießen more than ten years ago, probably because of the central location of the central Hessian city and the hall suitable for the festival. The organizers speak of a family festival consisting of cultural events such as music and literature. “This is a meeting center for all Eritreans who exchange their experiences,” said Oton Johannys Russom from the board of the Central Council of Eritreans in Germany. The accusation that propaganda for the country’s government was being spread at the event was completely unfounded. The claim that generals would perform at the festival is also not true.
A police spokesman reported that there had been attacks against barriers and attempts to break through police barriers. A group of probably around 100 to 150 people tore down a fence at the Hessenhallen. The officers used pepper spray and batons, and a water cannon was ready.
Beuth: Police officers not a “buffer for conflicts in third countries”
Hesse’s Interior Minister Peter Beuth called on the federal government to summon the ambassador of the East African country. “It must be made clear to the Eritrean government that Eritrean conflicts must not be fought on German soil,” said the CDU politician. “Our police officers are not the buffer stop for conflicts in third countries.”
Deputy AfD federal spokesman Stephan Brandner criticized the fact that the Eritrea Festival was allowed to take place in Germany. “The dictatorship may celebrate itself in Eritrea. Something like that has no place in our country.” Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser tweeted: “I strongly condemn the massive violence and rampage against police officers in Gießen. Thanks to all the emergency services! My thoughts are with the injured officers.”
The mood was also partly heated in the social networks. The police warned of false reports. Presumably because of the high temperatures, several people had health problems and received medical care, it said in a tweet. The officials referred to a previously made appeal not to spread false reports alleging that a participant in the disruptive actions had been killed. So far, there is no evidence of this, the officials wrote. A police spokesman said some of the videos showing the riots circulating on the internet were believed to be from the previous year.