On Thursday, August 3, an Eritrea theme cultural festival organised in a Stockholm suburb turned into a war zone after thousands of anti-Eritrea government protestors stormed the event. The incident left more than 50 people injured, out of which, eight are said to be seriously injured. About 100 people were detained by the Swedish police.
A significant police presence is still at the scene and investigations are underway, media has quoted Swedish police spokesperson Daniel Wikdahl as telling The Associated Press. He added that “between 100 and 200 people have been detained.”
The riots broke out after thousands of anti-Eritrea government protestors who were holding a protest nearby broke through a police barrier and stormed the Eritrean pro-government festival being held in Jaervafaeltet in Stockholm. The protestors tore down festival tents and used tent spikes as weapons against police. They also pelted stones at the people participating in the cultural event and the police.
A group of Eritreans also blocked the E 18 road toward Oslo. Public transportation was halted in the nearby Rinkeby district.
Videos from the scene showed cars and at least one tent on fire, sending large clouds of black smoke into the air.
A police spokesman told local media channel SVT that three police officers were also injured in the violence. The police have launched investigations into violent riots, arson and serious sabotaging of the emergency services, he added.
Sweden is home to tens of thousands of Eritrean immigrants. According to Swedish media, the festival celebrating Eritrea’s cultural history is held annually since the 1990s, but it has drawn criticism for supposedly acting as a publicity stunt and a source of income for the African country’s government.
Protester Michael Kobrab told Swedish television station TV4, “This is not a festival, they are teaching their children hate speech.”
Meanwhile, a festival participant, Emanuel Asmalash, also spoke to TV4 and accused the protesters of being “terrorists” from Ethiopia.
Eritrea is one of the most oppressive nations in the world. The two major religions in Eritrea are Christianity and Islam. Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki has been in power since the nation won independence from Ethiopia some 30 years ago, without having ever held an election.
Eritrea is sometimes dubbed the ‘North Korea of Africa’ because of its ultra-repressive regime. The Eritrean Defense Forces were responsible for widespread and serious human rights abuses, including execution, rape, and torture of civilians. Independent media have been banned since 2001 in the country.
In 2014, Human Rights Watch called Eritrea “among the most closed countries in the world” and pointed to “indefinite military service, torture, arbitrary detention, and severe restrictions on freedoms of expression, association, and religion.
Hundreds of thousands of Eritreans have left their country, fleeing religious persecution, arbitrary arrests and indefinite national service, considered forced labour by human rights organisations.
https://www.opindia.com/2023/08/sweden-clashes-during-eritrean-festival-stockholm/