During an Eritrea Day event in Tel Aviv, supporters of the Eritrean government and opponents of President Isaias Afwerki fought, injuring over a hundred individuals.
After witnesses said that demonstrators threw stones at policemen and burnt garbage cans, Israeli police fired stun grenades to disperse the crowds. Videos released online showed government supporters in Eritrea attacking protestors with clubs.
114 people were hurt, including 30 police officers, according to Israeli medical officials.
The Eritrean embassy had planned a party for September 1 to commemorate Revolution Day, which celebrates the start of the Eritrean War of Independence against Ethiopia in 1961, and here is where the violence started. I
Isaias has been in charge of Eritrea since its independence in 1993. Human rights groups have frequently condemned his administration’s severe tactics, and the United States and the European Union have sanctioned the country as a consequence.
“Why did we run from our country?” Hagos Gavriot, a Tel Aviv demonstrator, questioned Reuters. Why did Israeli authorities allow them to party like it was 1979 for this despot? We cannot have it. Why am I looking for safety here?
Reuters reporters saw guys with head wounds and bloodied arms sprawled on the ground of a playground. Police marched through the streets firing stun grenades in response to the protesters.
According to an Israeli police statement, large police and Border Police forces are continuing aggressively fighting criminals in the Tel Aviv area.
According to Assaf, a refugee rescue organization, there are roughly 25,500 Eritrean asylum applicants in Israel.
Some Eritreans who have traveled to Israel through the Sinai Peninsula fear retaliation if they return home. Eritreans are required to join the military and get leave permission.