STOCKHOLM — An Eritrea-themed cultural competition in a Stockholm suburb took a violent activate Thursday when a couple of thousand anti-Eritrean authorities protesters stormed the occasion, leaving at the least 52 individuals injured, Swedish media reported.
The protesters set cubicles and automobiles ablaze, sending smoke billowing into the sky. Swedish newspaper Expressen reported that as much as a thousand protesters marched in the direction of the competition grounds, pushing previous police cordons and utilizing sticks and rocks as weapons.
Swedish police spokesperson Daniel Wikdahl instructed The Associated Press that “between 100 and 200 people have been detained.” A major police presence remains to be on the scene and investigations are underway, he mentioned.
Sweden is house to tens of 1000’s of individuals with Eritrean roots. The competition dedicated to the cultural heritage of Eritrea is an annual occasion that has been held for the reason that Nineteen Nineties however has been criticized for allegedly serving as a promotional device and supply of cash for the African nation’s authorities, in accordance with Swedish media.
“This is not a festival, they are teaching their children hate speech,” protester Michael Kobrab instructed Swedish broadcaster TV4.
Human rights teams describe Eritrea as one of many world’s most repressive international locations. Since profitable independence from Ethiopia three many years in the past, the small Horn of Africa nation has been led by President Isaias Afwerki, who has by no means held an election.
Millions of individuals have fled situations akin to pressured navy conscription.
A competition participant, Emanuel Asmalash, additionally spoke to TV4 and accused the protesters of being “terrorists” from Ethiopia.
“It is not reasonable for Sweden to be drawn into other countries’ domestic conflicts in this way,” Justice Minister Gunnar Strömmer mentioned in a written assertion to the Swedish information company TT.
“If you flee to Sweden to escape violence, or are on a temporary visit, you must not cause violence here,” he added. “The police’s resources are needed for other purposes than keeping different groups apart from each other.”
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