Police stand near the gutted remains of cars, at the Eritrean cultural festival "Eritrea Scandinavia" in Stockholm Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023. The violence at some Eritrean festivals shows the bitter split in the diaspora between supporters of the government and their children — often protected by foreign passports — and exiles who fear for their loved ones back home. “Complicity in attempts to disrupt decades-old Eritrean festivals using foreign thugs reflects abject failure of asylum scum,” he said in a message posted on social media. “Our movement helped and participated in recent rallies against the so-called Eritrean festival,” he wrote in an email. And last weekend, authorities in Toronto canceled an Eritrean festival after clashes sent several people to the hospital.

Source: The North Africa Journal August 09, 2023 12:41 UTC