By Petros Tesfagiorgis

The vigil organised by the youth took place at Hide Park Corner, Marble Arch on Saturday 9, 2016. In opening the meeting, the spokesperson of the organisers Sham Gabriel called for one minute silence in remembrance of the martyrs who fell down fighting for freedom during the long years of struggle.

He said, “We are gathered here today to commemorate the victims of the shooting by soldiers in Asmara. Various sources have confirmed that some national Service Conscripts who tried to flee from the trucks transporting them to the Port of Assab- were shot in cold blood by soldiers guarding them.  A few including a child and a woman bystanders died on the spot and many remained injured.  We are also gathered here to express our indignation and condemn unequivocally the senseless killing and endless brutality perpetrated by the oppressive regime in Eritrea against its own people”.

Running up to the vigil, was the amazing interview the organisers did with the Eritrean Embassy Authorities in London.   Miriam September and Tsedal Yohannes – intercepted the Authorities at the door and asked them for information on those killed in Asmara.  Their response was, “there was no killing and it is you “Weyane” (-a term to character assassinate the opposition labelling them “Ethiopians”) who are fabricating all this misinformation to discredit the government.     Tzedal coolly and with respect answered them saying that she is a concerned Eritrean.  Miriam challenged their accusations in a similar way. The event was dramatic and watched by thousands on face book.   It was indeed an exposure of the blatant lie that symbolized the ideology of the PFDJ led government.

The Eritrean embassy staff in London soon realized their blunder and made U turn saying they are sorry of the “accident” in Tesfa-News, a journal that supports the Government.  Wanton killing is no new news at all.  It is done in line to the shoot to kill policy of Eritreans found crossing the border to Ethiopia and Sudan to escape repression. It has been going on for many years and there were many untold killings in the border.  Lots of truths about killings and disappearances is hidden in Eritrea.

When Sham Gabriel concluded his talk, several people took turns and expressed their sorrow and anger. After a while the condolences and condemnations turned into constructive criticism; basically of the lack of unity in the camp of justice seekers.  One  woman, ex-EPLF fighter, bitterly said “Listen I am  happy to attend such activities – I know  a lot of people who want to participate in activities that contributes to democratic change in Eritrea – but what I experience is that the organisations in UK are fragmented and allow me to say, it is the fault of the leadership. They failed to unite and so they can not bringing us together. First of all they must respect each other   and show cooperation so that they can win our support.” Her views was significant particularly coming from an ex-fighter who spend her youth in the armed struggle and find herself in exile running away from a country she helped to liberate.  She must have missed the culture of commitment, dedication and sacrifice and all those comradely relationship she had with her combatants in the field.

In reality these   fragmentations are recognized by many people and have tried many times to reconcile but failed to materialise. The mail reason is that there is a serious deficiency in the way Eritrean communities are structured in the United Kingdom, particularly in London. There are more than 20 civic associations/communities  in London alone in which a culture of  not to talk about the gross  human rights taking place in Eritrea is evolved  in order to appease the supporters of the Government who are members of the said communities/ associations. Any talk about violation of human rights or about giving material support and other humanitarians aid to refugees in Calais/France is taboo because it is politics.    Such mind-set provided a justification for members of    the associations to keep a blind eye to the pains and suffering of the refugees prosecuted in Israel, Libya and Egypt and those languishing in refugee camps   in Ethiopia and the Sudan. This culture absolutely corrupted the mind of thousands of Eritreans in UK and perpetuated the conspiracy of silence while the world has recognized the plight of Eritrean Refugee- as they watch on their TV screens- coffins of 369 Eritreans drowned in Lampedusa – Italy in October 2013 and is continuing to these days. Today the international community felt they have a moral duty to help their fellow humans and rose to the challenge to l help to refugees as we witnessed in the biggest demonstration of more than 300,000 “Welcoming Refugees” in the streets of London from Hide Park to the British parliament, putting pressure to the British Government to give sanctuary, protection to the destitute refugees and immigrants.   It is a shame there was only few Eritreans (see photo) in the sea of people demonstrating. The Organisers went to the extent to reserve a place for Eritreans in front of the marchers.

Why should the new refugees participate in activities that   calls for justice, rule of law and human rights, while nothing is done to help them in the time of their great need?  It is when they arrive in the UK that they need help the most in terms of getting houses, education and skill training etc.  The Eritrean communities in London do not do such things. Instead they expect them to be on the fore-front of the anti-government activities because they are the direct victims of repression. The justice seekers   get discouraged when few of them go to enjoy dancing events organised by the Embassy.    Unaware of that the elders complain of the absence of the youth in many meetings in London.  The truth is that  they cannot win the young  unless they  break from habits of thought developed in the past  and start to  see the world through the eyes of a generation just awakening to political life.

That is why   I am very happy to see the youth initiating the campaign to expose the murder in Eritrea.  Their actions was powerful. They are starting to be action oriented involving in activities that defines the destiny of Eritrea, their destiny, their future.     Having said so I would say they need to work in cooperation with the old generation and learn from their wisdom and invaluable experiences.  The Eritreans in Diaspora the middle class are much to blame for they have the resources’ but still they keep a blind eye to the suffering of refugees and keep their silence.

I conclude by thanking    Sham and his youth colleagues for arranging this historic vigil and gave rise to opening a dialogue of the way forward.

The end: