Knife and iron bar attacks: a demonstration against the Eritrea festival escalates | hessenschau.de

Before the start of the controversial Eritrean Cultural Festival in Gissin, there were attacks by protesters. Several people were injured. The festival has been cancelled.

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On Saturday, a demonstration against the Eritrean Festival escalated in Giessen. Participants in the rally attacked several volunteers at the festival.

Attack with knives and iron bars

According to the police, an unknown number of protesters left the Heisenhall level protest train. They climbed the fence of the hall and attacked the festival workers with iron bars, batons and knives. The policemen who were called were pelted with stones. In addition to festival aides, police officers were also injured.

Police canceled the cultural festival after the attack, and organizers ended the counter-demonstration. More attackers were temporarily arrested. The police seized batons and knives.

Controversial Festival

The Eritrea Festival is a controversial event. Eritreans in exile tried unsuccessfully to ban the festival by the court. They argued that the authoritarian regime in Eritrea used the festival to celebrate it by its supporters living in Germany and to raise funds.