Violence, injured police officers and damage to property – at the beginning of the controversial Eritrea Festival in Gießen, the riots feared by the police and the city broke out on Saturday. “The colleagues were massively attacked, stones thrown, bottles thrown, smoke bombs,” said a police spokesman for the German Press Agency. 22 emergency services were injured, among other things, by stone throwing. Initially, nothing was known about injuries on the part of the rioters.
The police said in the late afternoon that the situation had calmed down again. A rally that began in the early afternoon also went without incident. The police escorted some participants of the demo to their buses after the end of the meeting.
In the meantime, the police had advised via Twitter to avoid the city area and drive around it as the emergency services would have to be relocated to many different places due to the dynamic situation.
The two-day Eritrea Festival was held in the Hessenhalle, which is a bit outside of Giessen city center on the other side of the Lahn. The organizer, the association Central Council of Eritreans in Germany, is considered to be close to the government. The festival is therefore controversial. Already in August a year ago, there had been violent riots at the previous event. The Central Council of Eritreans in Germany expected around 2,500 visitors on Saturday and Sunday.
War has been raging in Eritrea for decades
Eritrea, with around three million inhabitants, is located in north-east Africa on the Red Sea and is largely isolated internationally. President Isayas Afewerki has ruled the country in a one-party dictatorship for 30 years since independence was won from Ethiopia in a decades-long war. Political parties are banned, and freedom of speech and freedom of the press are severely restricted. There is no parliament, independent courts or civil society organizations. In addition, there is a strict military service and forced labor system, from which many people flee abroad.
According to the city, the organizers of the festival speak of a family celebration. In addition to music and food, the program also included political speeches. A city spokeswoman said it was not known what the speeches were about. The festival moved from Frankfurt to Gießen more than ten years ago, probably because of the central location of the city in central Hesse and the hall suitable for the festival.
The police had been preparing for a large-scale situation and the arrival of potentially violent opponents of the event for days. The city of Gießen had initially banned the festival due to security concerns. This was overturned by the Gießen administrative court. On Friday, the Hessian Administrative Court confirmed this first-instance decision.
riots in several places
According to the police, groups of people of different strengths in Gießen had been noticed by riots in different places since early Saturday morning. At least 60 people were taken into custody, before about 50 places were issued. Around 200 people were briefly arrested by the police. There is a suspicion of bodily harm, breach of the peace, resistance to law enforcement officials and damage to property.
A police spokesman reported that fences were torn down and attempts were made to break through police barriers. A group of probably around 100 to 150 people tore down a fence at the Hessenhallen. The officers used pepper spray and batons, and a water cannon was ready.
Due to the dynamic situation, other police officers were called to Gießen in addition to the more than 1000 officers who were already on duty, said the police spokesman. It is about several hundred other police officers “from all Hessian police headquarters, who also come to Gießen to ensure on-site security”. Loudspeaker squads try to influence people who appear at barriers and may want to try to break through them. A police helicopter and a drone were also deployed.
Concerned about your own safety
Depending on the situation, the police blocked roads in different places in the city. According to the police, there was a dispute with a large number of participants at the Neustädter Tor. There were also threats to drivers. Objects were thrown from the Heuchelheimer Bridge and cars were damaged. Employees of a shop near the Hessenhallen also reported that windows had been smashed by passing cars. One of the workers said they were also worried about their own safety.
The mood was also partly heated in the social networks. The police warned of false reports. Presumably because of the hot temperatures, several people had health problems and received medical care, it said in a tweet. The officials referred to a previously made appeal not to spread false reports alleging that a participant in the disruptive actions had been killed. So far, there is no evidence of this, the officials wrote. A police spokesman said some of the videos showing the riots circulating on the internet were believed to be from the previous year.
