Violent clashes between supporters and opponents of Eritrea’s government rocked the streets of south Tel Aviv on Saturday, leaving at least 40 individuals hospitalized, with 12 of them in serious condition.
Eritreans constitute the majority of the over 30,000 African asylum-seekers in Israel, most of whom arrived in the country between 2007 and 2012 through Egypt.
According to reports, the clashes erupted during an official event organized by the Eritrean embassy in Tel Aviv to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the country’s ruler’s rise to power. The situation quickly escalated into a chaotic and dangerous confrontation.
Tel Aviv’s Ichilov Medical Center revealed that 24 individuals were still under hospital care as of Sunday morning, with seven of them in serious condition.
The clashes resulted in the arrest of approximately 50 individuals, and the overall toll from the violence included around 170 wounded individuals, including 50 police officers. Most of the police officers suffered from bruises, primarily caused by projectiles such as stones and other blunt objects.
Law enforcement authorities expressed worries at the intensity of the clashes, despite having prior knowledge of the potential for confrontations outside the Eritrean embassy’s event.
Eritreans from opposing factions engaged in the clashes using construction lumber, pieces of metal, rocks, and even an axe, causing significant destruction in a south Tel Aviv neighborhood with a sizable population of asylum seekers.
Representatives of the Eritrean community in Israel revealed that they had warned the police about potential violence a week prior to the embassy’s event.
These asylum seekers often cite fleeing danger and persecution in Eritrea, which is frequently described as the “North Korea of Africa” due to its lack of elections, absence of a free press, and compulsory lifetime military conscription.
By xamse
September 3, 2023
