Stockholms rally report

By organizers

The rally has started according the scheduled time at 11.00 local time. Demonstrators started gathering at the meeting place from Uppsala and other suburbs. The organizers divided the activities in teams and arranged all the facilities for the long day of the demonstration. People come in flocks and joined the rally. The rally was located exactly in front of the PFDJ’s Festival. The show was mobile and stationary. When all were gathered and ready the program of the demonstration was read by the coordinating committee. The place of the demonstration was decorated by posters and slogans. In the first period, the meeting began to sing accompanied by music. Slogans were shouted loudly so that it roared the whole area of the festival and celebrants of the festival went out from their tents to see the demonstrators.

The main slogan were, “ Stop PFDJ’s Festivals in Stockholm! “

                                     “ Stop dancing over our children’s blood ! “

 Others,

                                      Power to the people!

                                      Democracy Now!

                                      Release all prisoners!

                                      Respect our Parents!

                                      Release our children!

                                     Let the farmers farm!

                                     Let the traders trade!

                                    Let the students study!

                                    We are the echo of our oppressed!

And many others. ASPER from Italian, Tekle Gebreghergis and Dania Avallone have been the dynamo of the demonstration. They have never been tired to explain to those festival participants that such festivals are not for the benefit of our people but elongates our peoples grievances.

The demonstration was conducted in two ways. Marching from the stationary to the gate of the festival escorted by police. It has marched twice turn by turn. It was really fantastic shouting and marching in line towards the gate of the festival. The celebrants came out and watched the march some women ululating and some were chocked how dare the demonstrators were. The second march was precisely at the time of the meeting of the festival celebrants headed by PFDJ’s secretary of economics Hagos Kisha. The second march was like a thunder rumbling and brought a colossal fiasco to Hagos Kisahs meeting.

Speeches delivered at the rally

1. First speakers were from Liberal Party. The Swedish Liberal party has been seriously engaged on human rights and democracy globally and in particular in Eritrea. The party was represented by Amanda Lövkvist and Ibrahim Abdalla. In her speech, she welcomed the rally for human rights in Eritrea and stressed that liberal party is on the side of the forces for democracy and human rights respect in Eritrea. Ibrahim Abdalla himself from Eritrea and liberal party member also emphasized the abuses of human rights and the suffering of the people inside Eritrea.
2. Semere Kesete of the EDP who fled from the dictators prison briefed about the grievances when he was in prison and called the PFDJ festival celebrants to join the struggle for peace, democracy and rule of law in Eritrea.
3. Khalid Abdu member of the Eritreans For Human rights and democracy in Sweden has delivered a speech on the freedom of press in Eritrea. 
4. Gebrehiwet Woldemicael from Eritrean Association for integration and democracy has delivered a speech on the rights of a family in general and the abuses of the family rights in Eritrea under the authoritarian regime in Eritrea.

At the time of break grill was ready and the demonstrators enjoyed eating and drinking for awhile.  After break the rally continued to shout slogans and distribute pamphlets to the by passers to the festival.

The joint letter in Tigrinya and Arabic was read by Negash Osman to the public.

Solidarity and appeal letter from Awna Team was read By Fesseha Nair.

Awna – Webmaster Abdu Hajj has been following up the rally and has played an active role in disseminating the activities by media to our people. He has been in contact direct with rally by phone.  The Mebourne Eritrean Radio reporters have in contact with the rally by phone and interviewed the organizers how the rally was going. Thanks to Awna Team and Radio Melborune.

It was the first time to challenge the PFDJ’ s Festival in Stockholm. Festivals have been the financial resources of the PFDJ since many years, but it is our duty to stop them organizing festivals in the diaspora in the future because they elongate our peoples’ suffering under the rule of the dictator.

Finally, the coordinating committee thanked the demonstrators for their commitment and successful efforts warning the Festival celebrants that such festivals neither promote the Eritrean culture nor benefit our people.

========================

Following is the statement made

by the Organizing Committee of the demonstration

Dear representatives of the Eritrean political and civil society organizations in Sweden;

Dear participants of this manifestation;

Dear representatives of the Swedish political parties, organizations, and institutions;

First of all, on this historical day, on behalf of our kind people who are suffering from the repressive regime of PFDJ, on behalf of all those who are being made passive in different military camps and those losing their lives in vain, on behalf of our youths who are escaping from the barbaric treatment of PFDJ and risking their lives in deserts and seas seeking refuge, on behalf of all parents who lost their children, got humiliated and their money confiscated by PFDJ’s institutions, on behalf of our religious and community figures who became subject to unprecedented abuses and humiliation, on behalf of the Eritrean family which has lost stability and is passing through very painful moments;

On behalf of these and on behalf of all sectors of our society who are today standing here to protest against PFDJ’s festival and to uncover the regime’s crimes before the international public opinion in general and the Swedish public opinion in particular, we feel very proud and honoured to organize this manifestation. On behalf of the organizing committee of this manifestation we would like to present our sincere gratitude.

Dear Sirs/Madams,

It has become obvious to all of us that the abuses and oppressions being practised by the PFDJ’s regime against our nation have exceeded the limits and put the present and future of our country in danger. The Eritrean people have been deprived by the PFDJ’s regime from enjoying the fruits of independence for which they have paid heavy price and sacrificed precious lives of their children. What makes the situation sad is to see many Eritreans reaching the conclusion and saying ‘’ we were better off under foreign occupation’’. All kinds of abuses occurring in our country today are difficult to find resemblances to in our world’s modern history. Violations of individual human rights, abuses against social sectors of the society, religions, and history of the nation have not only moved the Eritrean national but also every human-being with morale.

Eritrean youth and Eritrean parents who deserve to lead a normal life in peace and dignity like the rest of the nations have become victims of oppression and abuses and their cries are ringing in our ears. Our religious leaders who deserve respect and who are supposed to play their spiritual  guiding and correcting role, are being humiliated day after day by the PFDJ regime the thing that confirms the extent to which the situation in Eritrea has seriously deteriorated.

To overcome these challenges caused by PFDJ and to establish a system guaranteeing justice, peace and democracy, power must be handed over to its legitimate owners – the people of Eritrea. However, if the situation continues as it is today, we will undoubtedly enter a phase which will be uneasy to pull ourselves out from. We should draw lessons from the situation in our neighbouring country, Somalia. For our people to live a free life, the regime of PFDJ must leave the power. To achieve this, all Eritreans wherever they are, must understand that it is their duty to struggle to the best of their ability against this illegitimate regime.

Dear Sirs/Madams,

Although the situation in Eritrea is as described above, it is disappointing to see no pressure being practised by the World Community and International Organizations on this repressive regime. This being the responsibility of these international bodies on the one hand, we as part of the suffering nation also couldn’t present the real situation of our country and people in a proper and documented way on the other hand. Therefore it is a pressing necessity to collect all our capabilities and work together in this regard.

In conclusion, our struggle will continue until peace, justice, democracy and harmony materialize in Eritrea. Our nation as it has in an impressive manner liberated the land and achieved independence today also collecting all capabilities to get rid of this repressive and unjust regime and to establish a democratic system, escalating the struggle is a historical duty.

Again we would like to express our sincere gratitude to all of you for coming here today despite all difficulties to courageously uncover and challenge the illegitimate acts of PFDJ regime.

Boycott to PFDJ’s festival;

Glory to our martyrs;

We will prevail.

Organizing Committee

Stockholm, 2007-08-04

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Posted by farajat on Aug 4 2007 Filed under Resistance. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry