By Martin Plaut

Media reports

‘On Saturday, 30 December, Eritreans from different factions of the diaspora fought each other on the streets of London. The police intervened to halt the disturbances, and were attacked protesters, eight of whom were arrested, after four police officers were injured.’

That is a summary of the news as distributed by the police and reproduced by the newspapers that covered the events. This was the BBC report.

“There were clashes in Camberwell after a protest related to ‘tensions in the Eritrean community’, the force added. Footage of the incident seemed to show people wielding sticks clashing with officers, bringing traffic to a halt. About 50 people gathered outside a private venue before violence broke out, police said. A heavy police presence was still in place at the scene, near The Lighthouse Theatre, on Saturday evening.”

An Eritrean perspective

The view from the Eritrean opposition led by Brigade N’Hamedu was very different.

The Brigade is determined to end the dictatorship of President Isaias Afwerki. To this end they are attempting to halt his extraction of funds and political support from Eritreans living abroad.

How the Eritrean authorities force the diaspora to fund its repression and military operations has been extensively document.

An official report for the Norwegian Government referring to this as “Transnational Repression.”

The Norwegian report explained how this works:

Acts covered by the concept of transnational repression can be grouped into the following main categories:
1) Violence and other attacks against the physical safety of persons
2) Threats
3) Harassment and discrediting
4) Infiltration
5) Restriction or conditional consular services
6) Monitoring
7) Weakening and abuse of international frameworks
Transnational oppression can thus be expressed in many different ways and in different arenas of society. A wide range of different acts and means are used, and these can be subject to a number of different criminal offences.

Yet this repression by the Eritrean government continues to take place across Europe and the United States, including in Britain.

Saturday’s clashes

It was to head off yet another event organised through the Eritrean embassy and Eritrea’s only legal party – the PFDJ – that the Brigade mobilised its supporters. They had heard rumours that an event was being organised in London.

“It was an event to support the dictatorship, and it had to be stopped,” said Solomon Mesele, who speaks for the Brigade.

Pro-government supporters organised seven busloads of Eritreans, who converged on the Eritrean embassy in Islington. From there they would travel to the event. But – unknown to the organisers – they were being trailed by members of the Brigade.

At around 1.00 pm on Saturday both sides arrived at the venue: the Lighthouse in Camberwell. “When we got there, we marched to the Lighthouse, on the left and right of the road,” says Solomon.

The 263 members of the Brigade had come from across Britain, carrying banners and posters.

“We did not want to fight with the police, but we wanted the event to be halted.” 

Solomon said that the Brigade had attempted to call on the Council to have the event called off, but since they had not known where it was being held, this had been difficult.

Preparing for war

Inside the hall Solomon says speeches were made by the organisers calling on the Eritrean community to get ready for another war with Ethiopia – something that has been in the air since Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy called for access to the sea, by force if necessary.

This would inevitably result in taking an Eritrean port.

The Eritrean diaspora was told to get ready to raise funds for another conflict and to give the Eritrean government their support.

The Brigade managed to get inside the hall, says Solomon, and disrupted the proceedings. Government flags and insignia were thrown onto the floor. In the ensuing melee two protesters – a man and a woman – were injured.

Police intervene

The police intervened as they were leaving the hall. The Brigade were told to lay down their banners and sticks. Solomon says they were promised by a senior police officer that the event would be ended, and so they complied.

The police collected the sticks, says Solomon, but then refused to halt the proceedings. It was then that clashes erupted between the police and the Brigade, who felt they had been given false information. Some of the protesters were tasered and tear gas was used.

A passer-by, who witnessed the events, said “It looked like a brutal and over-policed response.”

Police threaten Brigade members

Finally, the police ordered that the area be cleared and at around 7.00 pm the Brigade withdrew from the area.

“The police behaved in a completely unacceptable manner,” says Solomon. “We are disappointed that the Council and the government allow the regime to collect funds to continue their repression inside Eritrea and their wars in the region.”