The atmosphere was hot again in Stockholm, this time supporters and opponents of the Eritrean government attacked each other at a festival.
More than fifty people were injured in the riot.
Supporters of the Eritrean government were holding a festival in Stockholm when a thousand anti-government protesters showed up.
The Swedish police allowed a demonstration against the Eritrean government near the festival, but they did not expect that the crowd would break through the police line and clash with the festival participants.
The anti-government protesters destroyed the festival tents and set cars and stalls on fire.
The authorities produced more than a hundred people, but they failed to prevent the violent confrontation. More than fifty people were injured in the riots. There are thousands of immigrants with Eritrean roots living in Sweden.
The cultural heritage of the African country has been celebrated annually at the festival for more than twenty years, and there has never been an instance of the event turning into violence for political reasons.
Opponents of the Eritrean government have protested that the festival is allegedly being used by the country's government to teach children about "hate speech" and boost its popularity, while
Eritrea is considered a repressive regime where Christians are persecuted and tortured by brutal means.
( Guardian / Weeks)
Featured image: A group of migrants bound for Sweden wait at the train station in Lübeck. (MTI/EPA/Daniel Reinhardt)
