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(Net binnen) Verdict: Riots between groups of Eritreans at a conference center in The Hague

Posted by: Semere Asmelash

Date: Saturday, 20 July 2024

Verdict: Riots between groups of Eritreans at a conference center in The Hague


Criminal hearing | District Court of The Hague
  • July 19, 2024
  • 1:00 pm
  • The Hague District Court

The court in The Hague will rule against a group of Eritreans for the riots around the Opera conference centre on Fruitweg in The Hague. An Eritrean party took place there on 17 February 2024.

A total of 26 people have now been arrested for the riots at the conference centre on Fruitweg. A trial has already started or a hearing is scheduled for fifteen of those suspects. At the end of May, the Public Prosecution Service demanded between six and twelve months in prison for ten suspects, including for public violence.
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Five months after riots in The Hague, Eritreans hear their sentence

The court in The Hague will rule on Friday afternoon against a group of Eritreans who were involved in serious riots in The Hague last February. Several people were injured and the damage was extensive. What happened before that?

On Saturday 17 February, a confrontation will take place between supporters and opponents of the Eritrean government. A meeting of pro-government Eritreans will be held in the Opera hall in The Hague.

A group of more than a hundred opponents of the Eritrean government also arrives. Around 17:30, serious riots break out between the two groups. The police and riot police (ME) intervene quickly.

Several police officers and riot police are injured. Among other things, stones are thrown at them. The damage to the building is extensive: windows are smashed and a fire breaks out. Several cars in the area are also set on fire. More than 700,000 euros worth of damage is caused.

A total of 26 people have been arrested for the riots. All of them are suspected of public violence, among other things. A number of them are also suspected of arson and one of threatening a journalist.

The Eritrean community in the Netherlands clearly has two camps, which clash more often. President Isaias Afewerki maintains a dictatorial regime that also tries to keep Eritreans in the Netherlands under control. For example, Eritreans who live here have to give part of their monthly income to the regime. This kind of pressure leads to great tensions in the Eritrean communities outside Eritrea, which divides into groups that support the regime or not.

However, there are also Eritreans living here who are in favour of the current government in their country. Jan Abbink explained this earlier to NU.nl. Abbink is an emeritus professor of politics and governance in Africa at Leiden University.


"It sounds illogical that Eritreans who are in favor of the government in their country live here. But many of those pro-government Eritreans lived here before the current regime came to power," says Abbink. Other pro-government Eritreans left their country for economic reasons, for example.

Friday at 13:00 the court will rule against ten of the suspects. In May the Public Prosecution Service demanded between six and twelve months in prison against the persons in this group. In August the case will continue against the remaining suspects.
Nine of the suspects who will be tried on Friday.





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