More than 100 injured after Eritrean protesters clash with Israeli police in Tel Aviv
Eritreans protests in Tel Aviv
More than 100 people have been injured after violent clashes broke out between the Eritrean government supporters celebrating an Eritrea Day event and opponents of President Isaias Afwerki in Israel’s financial capital city of Tel Aviv, on Saturday (September 2), said a report by Reuters.
A report by news agency AFP citing police and medical sources also said that Israeli police opened fire on some demonstrators after the event turned violent.
Clashes broke out during a pro-regime event, organised by the Eritrean embassy outside a south Tel Aviv venue to mark Revolution Day on September 1. The day commemorates the start of the Eritrean War of Independence against Ethiopia in 1961.
What happened in Tel Aviv?
According to Reuters, Israeli police fired stun grenades to break up the clashes, while some protesters hurled stones at police and set trash bins on fire. This was after hundreds of anti-government Eritreans stormed the venue to prevent the event from taking place.
The Israeli police also declared the gathering an illegal demonstration and ordered the street to be emptied. However, protesters “hurled rocks and wooden planks” at officers, who used riot dispersal means to clear Eritreans, some of whom vandalised shops in the area, said the police, as per AFP.
Injuries and arrests
“Officers who feared for their lives used live fire against rioters,” said the Israeli police, in a statement, adding that some 27 officers were wounded during the altercation.
The police have also arrested 39 suspects “who assaulted police and threw stones” at officers, with some of them carrying “weapons, tear gas, and an electrical stun gun”.
Israeli police have since ramped up security in the area amid reports of clashes between Eritreans and police, as well as between supporters and opponents of the Eritrean regime. “At this time, large police and Border Police forces continue to operate against lawbreakers in the Tel Aviv area,” said the officials, in a statement.
AFP citing Israeli emergency service, Magen David Adom, said more than 114 people had been treated for injuries out of which eight were said to be in serious condition.
Eritreans in Israel
President Isaias’ government which has ruled Eritrea since it gained independence in 1993, has been condemned by human rights groups for being highly repressive while the country also remains under sanctions from both the United States and the United Kingdom for alleged abuses.
According to reports, Eritrea is one of the world’s most isolated states and sits near the bottom of global rankings for press freedom, human rights, civil liberties and economic development.
“Why did we run from our country?” a 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?”
A Reuters report citing data from Assaf, an organisation that aids refugees said that around 25,500 Eritrean asylum seekers currently live in Israel.
(With inputs from agencies)
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