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*Large Demonstration held by Eritreans in the UK*
The Action Group for Eritrea - 02 May 2012
On the occasion of the 10th Anniversary of the international ruling made
by the Eritrea-Ethiopia Boundary Commission, British-Eritreans and Friends
of Eritrea held a demonstration in London on Monday 30th April 2012 outside
the office of the Prime Minster, No. 10 Downing Street. The purpose of the
demonstration was:
· To call, as generations of Eritreans have done before, for the cycle of
historic injustices against Eritrea to end.
· To call for the guarantors of the Algiers Agreement between Eritrea and
Ethiopia to shoulder their legal responsibilities and take necessary
measures to force Ethiopia to vacate the occupied Eritrean territories.
· To call on the UNSC to annul and repeal the unjust and unfair sanctions
imposed on Eritrea.
· To call on the British Government, as a permanent member of the UNSC, to
play its responsible role in pressuring Ethiopia to abide by its treaty
obligations.
The demonstration started at 10:00 am and went on until 2:30 pm. Eritreans
and their friends came from all over the United Kingdom, including Leeds,
Sheffield, Manchester and Birmingham. The turnout was estimated to have
been in excess of 1500 at its peak. Such a high turnout on a Monday
morning, at very short notice, was indicative of the unity and dedication
of the people to the cause. Among the demonstrators were friends of Eritrea
who joined in the chanting. The police confirmed that the demonstration was
peaceful and commended the orderly work of the group leaders.
After two weeks of non-stop downpour of rain, the sun came out in all its
glory on the day of the demonstration giving the demonstrators the energy
and vibrancy to make themselves heard as far as the offices of the Foreign
and Commonwealth Office, across the road.
The demonstration, while peaceful, was loud with chants and placards that
read: *No to Intimidation and Provocation, Stop Selling Arms to Ethiopia,
We Stand against War and Terrorism, Stop Appeasing Ethiopia, Ethiopia –
Vacate Eritrea’s Territory Immediately, Annul Unjust Sanctions, No to
Sanctions based on Lies, Long Live Eritrea, etc.*
Two thousand fliers were distributed to members of the public passing by
which included civil servants, tourists and others. The flier highlighted
the historic injustices against Eritrea in chronological order and listed
the reasons for the demonstration.
Two thousand fliers were distributed to members of the public passing by
which included civil servants, tourists and others. The flier highlighted
the historic injustices against Eritrea in chronological order and listed
the reasons for the demonstration.
A delegation led by Ahmed Mahmoud, the Head of the Eritrean Campaign
Network for Peace and Development presented a letter together with a
petition signed by approximately 2000 people to the Office of the Prime
Minister at 12:30pm.
The letter reminded the Prime Minister that 10 years after the rulings of
the Boundary Commission, Ethiopia still continues to occupy sovereign
Eritrean territory in violation of the Algiers Agreement, a final and
binding international arbitration verdict, various international laws and
several Security Council resolutions.
The letter reminded the Prime Minister of Britain’s legal obligations as a
guarantor of the Algiers Agreement and called on him to ensure Ethiopia’s
compliance with its international treaty obligations and UNSC resolutions
and withdraw from occupied Eritrean territory. The letter also called on
the Prime Minister to call for the annulment of the unjust Security Council
sanctions imposed on Eritrea and redouble the government’s effort for the
establishment of a comprehensive peace in the Horn of Africa.
At 2:30 pm, a delegation led by Seble Ephrem, the Chairperson of the
Eritrean Relief Association in the UK and representatives of the various
sectors of the Eritrean community in the UK held a meeting with the Foreign
and Commonwealth officials Allan Wilson, Chloe Hamborg and Lucy Ahad. The
representatives conveyed clear and direct message of the growing anger and
frustration felt by Eritreans from all walks of life as a result of the
injustices that the people have been subjected to. They explained how
British policy has directly contributed to the abuse of basic human rights
of the Eritrean people, citing specific examples. They noted, with great
sadness, that this has been the case historically and called on the Foreign
Office to rectify its policy towards Eritrea.
The representatives also highlighted the absurdity of the sanctions
imposed against Eritrea, the known political motives of the controversial
figure heading the Monitoring Group and the lack of morality of the British
Government in relation to the arms sales to Ethiopia while imposing an arms
embargo against Eritrea in blatant violation of its right to defend itself
against unprovoked attacks.
They also urged the British Government to shoulder its responsibility as a
member of the European Union and as a permanent member of the Security
Council and take measures to ensure that the final and binding decision of
the Boundary Commission is implemented. Representing the younger British
Eritrean generation, Ebrahim Ali candidly expressed the embittered feelings
of his peers who he said are proud to be British as much as they are to be
Eritrean, by highlighting a fundamental inconsistency in the policy of the
Foreign Office in its approaches to the Eritrea-Ethiopia and
Eritrea-Djibouti boundaries. He also noted how it seemed to him
unreasonable that the Foreign Office was effectively supporting sanctions
on the basis that Eritrea would not engage on dictated terms instead of
evidence supporting the accusations against Eritrea.
Finally, a package of documents including over 30 relevant articles and
thoughts of Eritreans written on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of
the EEBC ruling were handed in to further increase the awareness of the
officials of the views of Eritreans across the globe.
In return, the officials from the FCO thanked the representatives and
explained the position of the British Government on the issues raised with
them. They confirmed that it continuously raises the matter with both
Eritrean and Ethiopian governments and calls for peaceful settlement of the
border in accordance with the decision of the Boundary Commission. With
respect to the UNSC sanctions, it was stated that the British Government
relies on the evidence presented by the Monitoring Group and its own
intelligence and that it does not take Ethiopia’s accusations at face value.
The officials also stated that the British Government wants to develop its
bilateral relations with Eritrea. To this effect, the UK hosted a high
level delegation of the Eritrean Government and looks forward to the
establishment of continued and mutually beneficial relationship.
The meeting ended with the delegates thanking the officials for the warm
reception accorded.
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Received on Fri May 04 2012 - 13:55:22 EDT
