The past several weeks and months have seen violent attacks against Eritrean festivals in cities across the West. In a previous article published in Eritrea Profile (“Violence against Eritrean communities underscores abject failure and hypocrisy of the West” – 26 August 2023), I discussed several key points that are at the core of recent incidents, including the West’s hypocrisy and cynicism throughout, how things will undoubtedly lead to greater xenophobia and racism, and that Eritreans have a history of resilience in the face of adversity.

In the following paragraphs, I extend and build upon that earlier commentary by outlining several points that have been mainly overlooked but remain critically important to comprehensively understand the profoundly concerning pattern of violence, hate speech, and terror against peaceful Eritrean communities across the West.

Why now?

Eritrean festivals abroad boast a long, proud history dating back numerous decades.  Held annually since the early 1970s, they have served as essential platforms for Eritrean communities and friends worldwide to celebrate the country’s rich history and heritage, share the nation’s colorful culture and traditions, strengthen community bonds, and forge links with the homeland. Invariably, they have been peaceful, nonviolent, and friendly occasions. It is against this historical backdrop and context, however, that we now see violence. This naturally begs the question: Why now?

The fact is the driving force behind the recent events is the TPLF. Evidence indicates that much of the violence and terror perpetrated against Eritrean communities in the diaspora is covertly orchestrated and funded by the TPLF and its network of supporters. Recently, there has been a cascade of leaked photos, messages, and statements attesting to this fact.

Following its horrifically disastrous failure in its recent war of insurrection of 2020-22 in Ethiopia (which also included the goal of invading Eritrea to carry out “regime change” and to incorporate large swathes of sovereign Eritrean territory), the TPLF and its supporters have now – out of sheer desperation, a sense of vengeance against those they believe to have thwarted their war aims, and a lack of any genuine alternatives – resorted to attacking Eritrean festivals.

The aim is to divide Eritrean communities, weaken their robust solidarity, and harm the nation. The attempt represents the latest effort in the TPLF’s decades-long, full-spectrum assault against Eritrea (carried out in close collaboration with its powerful Western partners). The campaign has included outright military aggression (1998-2000), sanctions, propaganda, vilification, attempts at isolation, and seeking to degrade the country’s ability to develop or defend itself through “strategic depopulation.”

Complicity, Negligence, & Dereliction of Duty

In the lead-up to festivals across cities in Western countries, Eritrean community organizers not only obtained their necessary permits but also warned authorities in their host communities about the threats and intimidation being directed their way by anti-Eritrea elements. Organizers also requested protection and the implementation of appropriate safety measures.

However, In many cases, their warnings and requests remained largely overlooked or went unheeded. This represents not only gross negligence and an extreme dereliction of duty on behalf of authorities but also an utter failure by states to fulfill their fundamental obligation to citizens to ensure security and protection.

Furthermore, it is becoming increasingly apparent that some Western institutions and officials have been supportive or facilitative during recent events. These revelations help to shed critical light on the underlying motives of many Western states.

They cannot simply restrict or cancel Eritrean festivals, as doing so would be too flagrant and evident of a violation of their public commitment to an array of high-minded values, such as freedom of speech and assembly. Accordingly, it is presumed that orchestrating and stoking violence that degenerates into chaos will provide them with the necessary rationale to revoke permits or cancel events outright under the veil of ensuring public order and security.

More broadly, Eritrean festivals are targeted because they promote cohesion within Eritrean communities, strengthen Eritreans’ ties and solidarity with the homeland, and ultimately reveal that the prevailing mainstream narrative of Eritrea is hollow and utterly groundless.

The proper response is not to capitulate or yield to intimidation and threats but to resist them.

Peaceful communities and law-abiding groups exercising their legally protected rights should never be the targets of illegal threats, violence, and intimidation. Yet, Western authorities have frequently revoked permits in response to attacks. This course of action has been taken instead of protecting peaceful communities from individuals and groups that encourage and advocate violence, condemning targeted harassment and rampant intimidation, and meeting violence with the full force of the law. This not only inflicts double harm on peaceful communities, compounding their victimization, but also emboldens those who issue threats and perpetrate acts of violence.

In the end, capitulating to perpetrators of violence, threats, and intimidation shows, yet again, that Western states’ actual commitment to the values and ideals that they so loudly and persistently trumpet is weak and shallow, It is also a deeply flawed, enabling act that will lead to more violence and destruction.