- German police disperse protests against Eritrean cultural festival with batons and pepper spray
- Demonstrators condemn festival as propaganda by repressive Eritrean government
- Confrontations result in injuries to police officers and arrests of nearly 100 individuals
Thousands of German police used batons and pepper spray to disperse gatherings in the central city of Giessen that were protesting an Eritrean cultural festival.
The demonstrators were outraged that the festival proceeded in Giessen, labeling it a propaganda effort by the repressive Eritrean government.
Saturday confrontations lasted for hours, according to a police statement, and 26 police officers were injured.
The police had to halt traffic in the city center after arresting nearly 100 individuals.
According to the police statement, protesters hurled bottles and stones at officers, vandalized vehicles, and tore down festival venue fencing.
They also hurled stones at buses transporting festival attendees, according to the statement.
The Twitter video appears to show large groups of demonstrators engaging in running battles with local police.
After similar unrest erupted last year, town officials attempted to halt the festival, but a local court overturned the prohibition.
Giessen has approximately 84,000 inhabitants and is approximately 50 kilometers (30 miles) north of Frankfurt am Main.
The Central Council for Eritreans in Germany, which is considered close to the Eritrean embassy, organizes the festival.
In recent years, Germany has granted asylum to a significant number of Eritreans, who constitute one of the largest groups of African migrants seeking to reside in the EU.
Human rights organizations have documented widespread violations of human rights by the Eritrean government, including severe censorship, forced labor, and military conscription akin to slavery.
