Date: Wednesday, 06 September 2023
The Eritrean Information Ministry has accused Israel’s Mossad and other intelligence agencies of disrupting “cultural events that have been taking place for decades,” after more than 100 people were injured in violent clashes in Tel Aviv between Eritrean government supporters celebrating an Eritrea Day event and opponents of President Isaias Afwerki.
According to accusation, which was made in a television news broadcast from Asmara on Wednesday, “the past few weeks have seen organized violence and vandalism in a number of European cities and elsewhere, aimed at disrupting national festivals and events that were organized by the Eritrean community. The main goal of this violence is to disrupt these events, which are designed to safeguard the community’s national identity, traditions and connection to the homeland … The division that has been sewn between the groups is funded by key intelligence agencies – including the Mossad.”
More than 50 Eritreans suspected of involvement in Saturday's riots are being transferred to a prison in central Israel on Tuesday without appearing before a judge. The move is indefinite and does not oblige the state to provide them with legal representation.
On Tuesday morning, the police withdrew its request to extend the suspects' detention. Instead, they informed the courts that an administrative process regulated by the Entry into Israel Law is underway–a step that recently hasn't been used against people who have not been indicted.
