Stockholm’s rally report

By organizers

On Saturday 4^th August 2007, the rally has started according the scheduled time at 11.00 local time. Demonstrators started gathering at the meeting place from Uppsala, Linköping, Örebro and others from Stockholm’s  suburbs. A huge number of political and civic organizations and concerned individuals have participated in the rally.

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…………….etc.

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 finance 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. 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. 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. 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. 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 Melbourne Eritrean Radio reporter  Mr. Berhan Ismail Jaber has been in contact with the rally by phone and interviewed the organizers how the rally was going. Thanks to Awna Team and Radio Melborune for their contributions to this rally succeed.

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 fund- raising festivals for the dictators in Eritrea, because they elongate our peoples’ suffering, concluded the organizers.

 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.

                              Organizers

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Posted by farajat on Aug 6 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