Police Cars Torched During Rioting Between Rival Groups Of Eritreans In Netherlands
Date
2/18/2024 3:28:35 PM
(MENAFN- AzerNews) Rioting broke out between two rival groups of Eritreans in the
Netherlands on Saturday night, Police said. Officers used tear gas
in an attempt to quell the unrest in The Hague as rioters torched
police cars and a bus, Azernews reports, citing
the Associated Press.
Images from the scene showed vehicles in flames and dozens of
men in the street, some throwing rocks.
“It got seriously out of hand,” The Hague Municipality spokesman
Robin Middel said.
Middel said a group loyal to Eritrea's government was holding a
meeting when the venue was attacked by Eritreans who oppose the
African nation's government.
Police spokeswoman Kristianne van Blanken said she could not
immediately say if anybody was injured or if any rioters were
arrested.
The fighting is the latest outbreak of violence at Eritrean
events in Europe.
Dozens of people, including at least 26 police officers, were
injured during unrest surrounding an Eritrean cultural festival in
the southwestern German city of Stuttgart in September 2023. A
fight the same month between Eritrean government supporters and
opponents in Tel Aviv led to violent street confrontations among
African asylum-seekers and migrants.
Months earlier, a clash at an Eritrean festival in the western
German city of Giessen left 22 police officers injured.
Tens of thousands of people have fled Eritrea for Europe, many
alleging they were mistreated by the repressive government of
President Isaias Afwerki. The conflicts underscore deep divisions
among members of the Eritrean diaspora between those who remain
close to the government and those who have fled to live in exile
and strongly oppose Isaias.
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