German police reported dozens of people, including at least 26 officers, had been injured during riots at a cultural festival in the southwestern city of Stuttgart, the Associated Press reported.
Before the festival began on Saturday, about 200 protesters gathered in the street and began throwing rocks, bottles and other objects at police officers and event participants. Six of the 26 wounded police officers were hospitalised.
At a similar festival in July in the western German city of Giessen, 22 police officers were injured. A fight between supporters and opponents of the Eritrean government in Tel Aviv in early September led to a violent street clash between African asylum seekers and migrants.
Saturday’s event was organised by several groups closely linked to the government of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.
Tens of thousands of people have escaped from Eritrea to Europe. Many of them claimed being mistreated by Isaiah’s repressive government. Saturday’s conflict highlights the deep divisions between supporters of the president and those fleeing the Eritrean government.
On Saturday, Stuttgart police vice-president Carsten Höfler criticised the actions of the protesters. He stated that “neither the extent nor the intensity of the violence was apparent in advance.”
City authorities said they saw no reason to cancel the festival. They also promised they would take steps to prevent similar disturbances in the future.
We must take decisive action against the emergence of conflicts from other states on German soil.
