Articles

From: Collective of the Eritrean Community in Switzerland Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To: Conference of Cantonal Directors for Justice and Police (KKJPD) Haus der Kantone

Speichergasse 6, P.O. Box CH-3001 Berne

Bern, 22 August 2022

Subject: Planned propaganda event of the Eritrean regime in Switzerland Honourable members of the Conference of Directors for Justice and Police

Honourable members of the Conference of Directors for Justice and Police.

By this letter, we would like to draw your attention to the so-called “Eritrea Festival”, which is being organised every summer under the guise of a “cultural event” at the behest of the Eritrean regime not only in Switzerland, but in numerous other European countries as well.

By organising concerts with musicians who enjoy a certain degree of fame among the Eritrean public, the regime of President Isaias Afewerki manages to attract the members of the diaspora; the main aim is, however, to be able to spread its political messages of war and hatred. Anti-Western and, more recently, pro-Russian propaganda are also part of the repertoire of the various speakers, who include not only high-ranking representatives of the YPFDJ, but also members of President Isaias Afewerki’s cabinet. In 2018, for example, Foreign Minister Osman Saleh incited government supporters with anti-Western propaganda.[1]

It is well known that the regime in Eritrea is involved in the current war in northern Ethiopia. Thus, this year’s festivals serve mainly to glorify the war, to justify it and also to support it financially. Hate speeches, war slogans and racist songs against the people of Tigray thus form the main programme of this year’s events. This was clearly heard at a YPFDJ event in Sion on 23.07.2022, which was also attended by children and minors. The “main attraction” this summer is a music group of the Eritrean Defence Force, consisting of musicians, poets and political cadres. They not only boast about their victory over the arch-enemy Tigray, but also sow hatred against Eritrean opposition members as well as members of the Tigrayan ethnic group during their performances.

Another event in Switzerland is now planned for 27 August 2022, but the venue is being kept secret until now.

For years now, the organisation of such propaganda events has been heavily criticised by the Eritrean opposition, but also by informed politicians in the host countries; this year, this could be observed in Sweden.[2] In the Netherlands, the planned festival in Reijkswijk was banned altogether after the Foundation for Human Rights for Eritreans successfully sued against it.[3]

In the afternoon and evening of 20 August 2022, massive riots broke out between angry regime opponents and government supporters in the German city of Giessen. The violent protests eventually led to the event being cancelled after a complaint against it had previously been dismissed.[4] [5]

The anger and frustration of the regime opponents is all too understandable. Many Eritreans living in Switzerland today as recognised refugees or asylum seekers fled their country of origin due to massive human rights violations and repressive state measures. The regime and its agents in the diaspora regularly try to defame these political refugees as economic migrants, ridicule the families of those who have died during the perilious flight, and downplay the true motives of people fleeing Eritrea (first and foremost, the unlimited military and national service, which violates basic human rights).

Since November 2020, the Eritrean Defence Force (EDF) has been involved in a cruel war against insurgents in northern Ethiopia alongside the Ethiopian federal government; as is so often the case, the victims are civilians, including the elderly, women and children, but also numerous Eritrean refugees who had sought shelter in UNHCR camps.[6] To date, the hostilities have not been resolved, and the Tigray region has been cut off from urgently needed financial, medical and humanitarian aid for months now, leading to famine.[7] The abuses perpetrated against civilians during the fighting, involving Eritrean troops at the order of the government in Asmara, are so atrocious that the UN and the EU are calling them war crimes, ethnically motivated displacements, women-related violence on an unimaginable scale, and potentially crimes against humanity. Several Eritrean army generals, including EDF leader Filippos, were sanctioned by the US in August 2021 as a result of these human rights’ violations.[8] A UN resolution of 17 December 2021 accuses “all parties” in the war – i.e. also the Eritrean Defence Force – of the most serious crimes.[9]

But also the people of Eritrea are suffering heavily under the war in Tigray. Many young men and women (including many minors) are being forcibly recruited for the war during raids, overpriced food is becoming unaffordable, there is a lack of electricity and water in every household. Yet the regime presents itself as the winner of the war and deceives people through propaganda and incitement against the West.

We representatives of the Eritrean community in Switzerland fear violent clashes in the wake of these propaganda events, even more so in light of the problems described above, remembering that violent clashes in Schwarzenburg could only be prevented narrowly in 2017.[10] Switzerland has offered protection from persecution to many Eritrean refugees; we therefore consider it our responsibility to draw your attention to the anti-constitutional activities of PFDJ-associated organisations. The dictatorship’s long arm reaches into Europe and thus also into Switzerland. These who refuse to be loyal to this regime must expect that family members still living in the country of origin will be subjected to reprisals by the regime (threats, expropriation of land, withholding of food coupons that are essential for survival, etc.).

These so-called “festivals”, organised by the regime every summer in the various countries with a large diaspora, aim at marking presence and thus at silencing dissenting voices.

We have had enough of this now! We demand that Eritrean refugees can live a free and safe life here in the host country without being intimidated and blackmailed by the agents of the regime they fled from.

We therefore appeal to you,

to ban this year’s festival by the Eritrean regime planned for 27 August; if members of the current Eritrean government or military, who are presently under sanctions, attempt to enter the country, this must be prevented under all circumstances.
In addition, we want the Swiss authorities to finally take adequate measures to put a ban on the other activities of the Eritrean YPFDJ groups once and for good.
Finally, we want all activities that favour the collection of the so-called diaspora tax,[11] namely the provision of consular services only against the 2% tax, the signing of the so-called “repentance form” and the disclosure of the whereabouts of all family members, to finally be effectively stopped.

It cannot be the case that constitutionally guaranteed fundamental freedoms such as the right to freedom of assembly and expression are abused by a dictatorial regime in Switzerland; Switzerland should neither serve as a propaganda target nor a collection point for illegal taxes to the Eritrean regime!

The Eritrean government is not only disregarding the basic human rights of its own population, but it is also overrunning the civilian population of a neighbouring country with a genocidal war that is in violation of international law. This war has already claimed thousands of lives and has displaced millions more.

We thank you in advance and we count on you to take the necessary measures. Should you require further information and evidence, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Yours sincerely

On behalf of the network of eritrean “Justice Seekers” in Switzerland

Copies will be sent to

the State Secretary for Migration
the Minister of Justice

There is a petition appealing for support for this action: See here: https://act.campax.org/petitions/keine-feier-fur-eritreisches-unrechts-regime-in-der-schweiz

[1] https://www.srf.ch/news/schweiz/eklat-um-ministerbesuch-eritrea-brueskiert-die-schweiz

[2] https://eritreahub.org/eritreas-ruling-partys-stockholm-festival-plans-terminated-how-it-was-done

[3] https://eritreahub.org/breaking-dutch-court-rejects-appeal-against-ban-on-pfdj-festival-this-weekend

[4] [4] https://www.hessenschau.de/panorama/angriffe-mit-messern-und-eisenstangen-demo-gegen-eritrea-festival-eskaliert,verletzte-auseinandersetzung-eritrea-festival-giessen-100.html

[5] https://www.t-online.de/region/frankfurt-am-main/id_100041910/giessen-kontroverses-festival-mit-eisenstangen-und-steinen-angegriffen.html

[6] https://eritreahub.org/nowhere-to-run-the-plight-of-eritrean-refugees-in-ethiopia

[7] https://www.spiegel.de/ausland/aethiopien-haelfte-der-schwangeren-in-tigray-region-ist-laut-uno-unterernaehrt-a-09e30819-5d53-4c94-ac7b-7093df280ad9

[8] https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/jy0329

[9] https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2021/12/human-rights-council-decides-establish-international-commission-human-rights

[10] ttps://www.bernerzeitung.ch/weltpolitik-in-schwarzenburg-421758929327

[11] https://www.dsp-groep.eu/projecten/the-2-pct-tax-for-eritreans-in-the-diaspora/

The Eritrean government’s attempt to hold a festival in Giessen ended in chaos, after protests from young Eritreans, furious that the event was celebrating a regime they had risked their lives to flee from.

Opposition to the festival organised by the ruling PFDJ had been building for weeks, with a petition calling for it to be cancelled.

The Eritrean opposition took the issue to court, but were unable to persuade the authorities to have the event called off, despite pointing out that it would involve “hate speech” against members of the community.

And so the event went ahead on Saturday. But not without challenge.

Eritrean youth were determined to resist what they saw as a celebration of the Eritrean dictatorship which had forced them to risk their lives to flee their own country.

What began as a peaceful protest outside the festival site

grew in size and intensity, as other opposition groups joined them.

Clashes broke out, and police from across the region were called [see below] as they feared the events would get out of control and there could be serious injuries.

Finally, the PFDJ gave in.

The organisers told the festival goers that they had been instructed to halt the event by the police.

They said the protesters outnumber the police’s capacity to protect the event and that the police were unable to take responsibility for the festival’s safety.

This caused considerable grumbling from the PFDJ supporters, who can be heard on the Facebook video saying they had came all the way from Holland for the festival.

Source: Police press release

Gießen: The police accompanied two events in Gießen today (08/20/2022). In addition to an Eritrea cultural festival in the Hessenhallen, a meeting with rallies and a procession, which was thematically directed against this cultural event, was registered with the city of Giessen.

Around 5 p.m., a larger number of participants left this gathering. They climbed over the fence of the Hessenhallen and attacked the helpers who were there setting up the festival. According to initial findings, the attackers used sticks, iron bars and knives. Police forces deployed there were stoned – the forces used batons and pepper spray against the attackers. A hitherto unknown number of people and police forces suffered minor and sometimes serious injuries.

Rescue workers took over their first aid.

The forces arrested several people provisionally.

The culture festival was canceled by police order.

Guido Rehr, spokesman

Questions please contact:

Central Hesse Police Headquarters
Press and Public Relations
Ferniestraße 8
35394 Gießen
Telephone: 0641-7006 2040
Fax: 0611-327663040

Source: FFH Radio

Large-scale police operation in Gießen in the evening. In the run-up to the Eritrea culture festival, there were massive riots.

The attackers were participants in a meeting against the culture festival, the Gießen police said. Accordingly, a larger protest group climbed over the fence to the Hessenhallen and attacked helpers who were busy setting up the festival. Iron rods and knives were apparently also used. Police officers deployed there had stones thrown at them. They responded by using batons and pepper spray.

Several injured

In addition to the festival helpers, a few police officers were also slightly injured. There is currently no overview of how many people were injured. The police speak of an unknown number of mostly slightly injured people.

Police needed massive reinforcements

Police forces from the police headquarters in Central Hesse, Frankfurt am Main, North Hesse, East Hesse, South-East Hesse and South Hesse as well as the Hessian riot police were brought together in Gießen. The forces arrested several people provisionally. They were later released, but investigations are now underway into allegations of breach of the peace and assault.

Festival has been controversial for years

The culture festival was canceled by police order, and the counter-demonstration was ended by the organizer after the incident. There are regular protests because of the festival. Critics see it as a propaganda event for the dictatorial state.