In Tel Aviv, clashes erupted between Eritrean asylum seekers and Israeli police. The protesters were upset about an embassy event and confronted the police, resulting in many injuries, including some from live gunfire. Both sides deviated from their planned rally locations, leading to violence. Emergency medical services treated 114 people, including 30 injured police officers. This conflict mirrors previous clashes among Eritrean asylum seekers in the region.
In 2019, a supporter of the Eritrean regime was fatally stabbed in south Tel Aviv during a conflict between factions that supported and opposed the Eritrean government. Such tensions often manifest in poorer neighborhoods where many Eritrean community members reside.
Approximately 18,000 Eritrean asylum seekers currently reside in Israel, having entered the country illegally through Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula. They fled their homeland, citing dangers, persecution, and mandatory military conscription in Eritrea, one of the world’s most oppressive nations.
Israeli authorities do not differentiate between asylum seekers based on their political beliefs. All Eritrean asylum seekers are treated equally, according to local media reports.
Eritrea’s diaspora commemorates the country’s 30 years of independence from Ethiopia with festivals. However, such events in Israel and various parts of Europe and North America have been marred by protests and outbreaks of violence.
Just last month, a three-day Eritrean cultural festival in Toronto, Canada, was canceled due to clashes between supporters and opponents of the Eritrean regime.