As Eritrea marks 30 years of independence, festivals held by Eritrea’s diaspora in Europe and North America have been disrupted by exiles whom the regime dismisses as “asylum scum.”
Riots and demonstrations by opponents of the Eritrean government have clouded cultural festivities as Eritrean nationals took to the streets over the weekend to celebrate the country’s 30th independence.
Various forms of attacks from anti-government supporters the festivity attendees smeared the event.
In Toronto, festivals were cancelled by the city officials due to violent series of events in Stockholm in Sweden where at least 50 people were injured and over 200 detained, and Seattle in Washington, United States.
Refugees from the Horn of Africa nation, say the protests and demonstrations are legitimate as the event is a propaganda tool used to raise money by the Eritrea government.
An online petition seeking to cancel the event in Toronto claimed had claimed that “the event is sponsored by the totalitarian regime of Eritrea through operatives in Toronto to raise funds to finance its military establishment.”
Demonstrations against the cultural festival were held in previous years by the Dawit Isaak Campaign, named after a Swedish-Eritrean writer, who has been jailed by the government since 2001, with neither access to his family nor legal representatives.
