Dejen Media (August 3) — An Eritrea cultural festival in Sweden took a violent turn when approximately a thousand anti-Eritrean government protesters set fire to booths, tore down outdoor shelters, and hurled rocks, as reported by Swedish media. While Swedish police did not immediately report any injuries, several people were said to have been hurt in what the publications described as a riot.
The Festival of Eritreans in Scandinavia, an annual event held since the 1990s at Järvafältet, a nature reserve in northern Stockholm, opened on Thursday and was scheduled to run through Sunday. The festival has drawn criticism for allegedly serving as a promotional tool and financial source for the Eritrean government, according to Swedish media.
Sweden is home to tens of thousands of people with Eritrean roots. However, human rights groups have long described Eritrea as one of the world’s most repressive countries. Under the leadership of President Isaias Afwerki, who has never held an election, the small Horn of Africa nation has faced harsh scrutiny for conditions like forced military conscription, leading millions of people to flee.
A similar unrest occurred during an Eritrean cultural event in the western German city of Gießen earlier this month. Several people were injured, and at least 22 officers were also hurt, with dozens of individuals detained during clashes. The protesters in Giessen were voicing opposition to the African nation’s autocratic ruler, attempting to force their way to the venue. Police deployed approximately 1,000 officers, a water cannon, and helicopters in the city, about 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Frankfurt, to contain the situation.
As events in both Sweden and Germany underscore tensions related to Eritrea, the question of the country’s cultural festivals serving as a platform for political expression and government support remains a subject of debate.
