ERITREA: Thousands march in Washington, DC to protest US-UN Sanctions Against Eritrea
Sophia Tesfamariam
February 26, 2010
Ever since the regime in Ethiopia heard about the popular campaign to denounce the ill-advised, illegal, unjust and unfair sanctions that were imposed on Eritrea on Christmas Eve, it ordered its mercenaries to quash the people´s voices, as it does to its own people in Ethiopia. Members of the Eritrean Quislings League (EQL) and other hired mercenaries conducted an intensive campaign of harassment, intimidation and misinformation. In the United States, playing judge and jury, they threatened those who attended the rally with "denationalization" and "deportation". When that evil campaign didn´t work, they went on to spread lies about the Government of Eritrea, accusing it of "organizing the rally".
In all the 30 odd years that I have lived in the United States, I have never seen such a reckless and utterly un-democratic attempt to dissuade a people from exercising their right to free will, free association and freedom to protest… I have never seen such a desperate attempt to silence an entire population into submission. I can´t believe it is happening in the United States of America. Who gave them the right to terrorize the people that way? Who are they to decide who can live in the United States and who can´t? It pains us all to see pedophiles and criminals being treated like "human right" activists, and even more so when they want to police us and muzzle us, as if they know what is best for us. If this is not terrorism, what is? All this, in the name of democracy..what a farce!
The Government of Eritrea does not need to tell the people to do anything. The people are perfectly capable of organizing themselves and can smell injustice a mile away. After all it is our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters who died to liberate Eritrea. It was our children who were left orphaned and it is our brothers and sisters who have sacrificed their live and limbs for our freedom. It was our villages and towns that were pulverized by Ethiopian planes, and it is our people who suffered the burns caused by the napalm and cluster bombs that were indiscriminately dropped on our homes. We don´t need anyone to remind us of the past injustices against our people, we have all lived through it and know it. We don´t need anyone to tell us who destroyed our martyrs cemeteries and watched while 80,000 of our people were being deported from Ethiopia because the lawless, genocidal minority regime didn´t like the color of their eyes. No, we lived through it and know it first hand.
What an insult to the people of Eritrea. But then again, what do these sellout mercenaries know about us Eriteans. These are folks that are ostracized from the Eritrean communities in their cities and have no relationship with Eritrea. These are folks that celebrate the suffering of the Eritrean people and called for the sanctions against Eritrea. Of course they believe Eritrea is guilty, of course they believe Eritrea should be sanctioned on fabricated and unsubstantiated allegations…this is right up their ally isn´t it? Churning out fabricated and unsubstantiated reports on Eritrea....We are not surprised that they believe Susan Rice and her confidante Meles Zenawi, and not the people of Eritrea.
On the night before the rally, these mercenary sent out their stooges to put anti-rally flyers on the cars at the Double Tree Hotel in Virginia, where Eritreans were having a meeting. How desperate can one get? What were they afraid of? That the American public would realize that their 10 year long vilification and defamation campaign against the people and government of Eritrea would be exposed for what it is. That all their fabricated "reports" about the relationship with the Government of Eritrea and the Diasporan population would be exposed? If they had the support of the people in the Diaspora, they would not have had to engage in such shenanigans. Why work so hard to silence the people? Is that the brand of democracy and free speech?
This rally, across the world, is a slap in the face for all those who have been vilifying Eritrea for the last 10 years. It is a slap in the face fro all those who claimed Eritreans in the Diaspora were not united. It was a slap in the face for all those who lied about the relationship between the Government of Eritrea and the people of Eritrea everywhere. It was a slap in the face for the minority regime in Ethiopia led by Meles Zenawi to see representatives of the various Ethiopian populations, the Oromo, Ogadeni, Amhara and the Somali marching with Eritreans in protest of the unjust and unfair sanctions imposed on Eritrea. The people of the Horn were united in their protest against Washington´s racist and incoherent policies for the Horn of Africa, and its hostile policy on Eritrea.
The silenced majority was fed up, fed up with th elies, fed up with the crimes, fed up with the injustices, fed up with the unjust policies, fed up with corrupt and bankrupt junior diplomats running the Bureau of African Affairs, fed up with death and destruction in the Horn region adn fed up with propping up illegitimate and genocidal regimes, like the minority regime in Ethiopia led by Meles Zenawi, that are destablizing the Horn region and they came to Washington to let their lend their own voices to the voices of justice adn truth. They paid their monies and reserved buses, trains and air tickets to speak for themselves, and they came in the hundreds and thousands. They were not cowed and they were not going to allow a bunch of mercenaries stand in their way. So these mercenaries can go write their fabricated reports …history and the people of Eritrea will judge them and judge them harshly.
After the Rally, their lies did not end. They went on to downplay the historic event. They claimed that the turnout was disappointing to the organizers. That too is a lie. The turn out was amazing and more than what the organizers, who are the people themselves, ever expected. The pictures cannot lie and the videos cannot lie. The American people in Washington, DC and San Francisco know what they witnessed. The tourists in front of the White House know what they witnessed. The DC police and State Department police know what they witnessed. It is shameful to try and deceive an entire nation. The only people who did not come where the EQL and that was expected, as they were not invited. The rally was not for the enemies of Eritrea, it was for Eritreans and friends of Eritrea.
Today, with the many social networking sites and the internet available for each and every participant to tell his or her story, the truth will prevail. Gone are the days when ordinary Americans relied on the main stream media for their information. Today, the people are conscious. They know that the so-called "democracy", "human rights" and "religious rights" activists, well-paid Western experts and lobbyists, and media moguls are there to help dictators such as Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia improve their image and win elections. They no longer represent the will of the people.
For pictures and reports on the rallies in Washington, DC, San Francisco, Geneva and Melbourne, Australia, please visit the following sites:
www.dehai.org
www.mekete.com
www.e-smart@eritrean-smart.org
For a message from Dawit Daniel, an 8 year old Eritrean American to President Barack Obama, you can watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqnQBYUKkyA
Full report of Washington Rally below:
Eritreans march in Washington, DC to protest against UNSC Resolution 1907
On the 22nd of February 2010, tens of thousands of Eritreans and Friends of Eritrea took to the streets of Washington, DC to protest against the unfair , unjust and illegal Security Council Resolution 1907 (2009) and the sanctions against Eritrea. The demonstration in Washington, DC is part of the world wide day of protest. Similar rallies were conducted in San Francisco, CA, Melbourne Australia, and Geneva Switzerland.
It is to be recalled that, on 23 December 2009-the UN Security Council passed a resolution imposing sanctions on Eritrea, with full support of the United States and the British Government for the unsubstantiated allegations made in the Monitoring Groups December 2008 report which claimed that, Eritrea has provided political, financial and logistical support to armed groups engaged in undermining peace and reconciliation in Somalia. Eritrea has consistently asked for the Security Council to provide the said evidences and none has been delivered to date.
According to the U.N. Security Council's Somalia Sanctions Committee, "elements of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia known as AMISOM, and Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG)" are involved in arms trafficking activities. Furthermore, eighty percent of ammunition available at the Somali arms markets was supplied by the TFG and Ethiopian troops." The Committee also reported of getting details of some 25 military flights by Ethiopia into Somalia and knew that Ethiopian troops had brought military equipment into the country to arm friendly clans to cover up the failures in the world and certainly in the horn of Africa.
The Demonstrators arrived in Washington, DC, the nations capital from cities and towns across the United States. Participants from St. Louis MO drove for about 13 hours to come to Washington. Mehari Goben Tecle, Mewael Ogbe and Fisseha W/Michael came with 14 others to take part in the historical event. Tigisti came all the way from Seattle, Washington, eight year old Dawit Daniel traveled with his family from New York City and when he took the stage to speak, he had the crowd roaring. Everyone came to add their voices to the thousands of their countrymen and women who were holding similar rallies in San Francisco, Europe and Australia. They gathered at Lafayette Park in front of the White House in a colorful show of unity and determination to bring public awareness to the latest US injustice committed against the people of Eritrea.
Carrying banners and placards, they chanted catchy slogans such as Ensure food security, Defeat sanctions, Stop US historic injustice against Eritrea, No to Sanctions - Yes to Engagement. Placards directed at the Obama Administration said OBAMA: Where is the change we can believe in, OBAMA: You are on the wrong side of history and OBAMA-Where is the new beginning for Africa. At abut 11:30, they lined up in rows of 10 to begin the mile and half trek to the US State Department, as that was the main venue for the duration of the rally. Cheering and chanting catch slogans as they made their way down 19th Street past the World Bank and other key Washington institutions, they waved to workers who peeked through their windows. Several groups representing various Horn residents participated in the rally in a strong show of solidarity with the people of Eritrea. The youth, who led the march handed out flyers and urged all to seek justice and peace for the Horn of Africa. At the US State Department, letters to Presid ent Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were given to Ms. Maria Beyzerov, the Eritrea Desk Officer. 4 huge file folders containing the signatures of 107,000 Eritreans and friends of Eritrea were also given to Ms. Beyzerov.
Organization
The superior organization was evident in the manner with which the rally was conducted, the event was flawless. All sorts of buses and minivans brought Eritreans from places far and near. Busloads came from Atlanta, GA, Boston, Massachusetts, Chicago, Illinois, Columbus, Ohio, St. Louis, Missouri, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and across the border from Toronto, Canada. The cool weather was not a deterrent and the winter coats did not hide the colorful attires. The white snow still on the ground, it contrasted well with the color and beauty of the procession, making for a great picture day. Eritrean and American flags waved in the cool wind and young and old, men women and children marched in unison calling for the annulment and repeal of the unjust, unfair and illegal US-UN sanctions against Eritrea. The rally was broadcast live on Eritrean television. During the 30 year struggle for Eritreas independence Eritreans, such rallies were common place. With each atrocity perpetrated on the people of Eritrea, they came to voice their concerns. A rally held in 2006 brought over 11,000 to the nations capital. This time, with so many youth in the mix, the number has grown substantially.
Speeches and Messages of Solidarity
Outside the US State Department after a brief welcoming message from Freweini, Tekeste, the Chairperson of the DC Organizing Committee,. There were also other speakers present and amongst them were several groups representing various populations in the Horn of Africa addressed the crowd. They each brought messages of greetings and solidarity. They condemned the unjust, unfair and illegal sanctions imposed on the State of Eritrea and its peace-loving people and called on the US government to change its incoherent policies for the Horn of Africa region. They re-affirmed their commitment to working side by side with their Eritrean neighbors to bring about change in the Horn region and alleviate the pain and suffering wrought by the minority regime in Ethiopia led by Meles Zenawi, Washington´s ally in the region. The youth took center stage at this rally and they came through with flying colors.
Congratulations to the people of Eritrea!
In all the 30 odd years that I have lived in the United States, I have never seen such a reckless and utterly un-democratic attempt to dissuade a people from exercising their right to free will, free association and freedom to protest… I have never seen such a desperate attempt to silence an entire population into submission. I can´t believe it is happening in the United States of America. Who gave them the right to terrorize the people that way? Who are they to decide who can live in the United States and who can´t? It pains us all to see pedophiles and criminals being treated like "human right" activists, and even more so when they want to police us and muzzle us, as if they know what is best for us. If this is not terrorism, what is? All this, in the name of democracy..what a farce!
The Government of Eritrea does not need to tell the people to do anything. The people are perfectly capable of organizing themselves and can smell injustice a mile away. After all it is our mothers, fathers, brothers and sisters who died to liberate Eritrea. It was our children who were left orphaned and it is our brothers and sisters who have sacrificed their live and limbs for our freedom. It was our villages and towns that were pulverized by Ethiopian planes, and it is our people who suffered the burns caused by the napalm and cluster bombs that were indiscriminately dropped on our homes. We don´t need anyone to remind us of the past injustices against our people, we have all lived through it and know it. We don´t need anyone to tell us who destroyed our martyrs cemeteries and watched while 80,000 of our people were being deported from Ethiopia because the lawless, genocidal minority regime didn´t like the color of their eyes. No, we lived through it and know it first hand.
What an insult to the people of Eritrea. But then again, what do these sellout mercenaries know about us Eriteans. These are folks that are ostracized from the Eritrean communities in their cities and have no relationship with Eritrea. These are folks that celebrate the suffering of the Eritrean people and called for the sanctions against Eritrea. Of course they believe Eritrea is guilty, of course they believe Eritrea should be sanctioned on fabricated and unsubstantiated allegations…this is right up their ally isn´t it? Churning out fabricated and unsubstantiated reports on Eritrea....We are not surprised that they believe Susan Rice and her confidante Meles Zenawi, and not the people of Eritrea.
On the night before the rally, these mercenary sent out their stooges to put anti-rally flyers on the cars at the Double Tree Hotel in Virginia, where Eritreans were having a meeting. How desperate can one get? What were they afraid of? That the American public would realize that their 10 year long vilification and defamation campaign against the people and government of Eritrea would be exposed for what it is. That all their fabricated "reports" about the relationship with the Government of Eritrea and the Diasporan population would be exposed? If they had the support of the people in the Diaspora, they would not have had to engage in such shenanigans. Why work so hard to silence the people? Is that the brand of democracy and free speech?
This rally, across the world, is a slap in the face for all those who have been vilifying Eritrea for the last 10 years. It is a slap in the face fro all those who claimed Eritreans in the Diaspora were not united. It was a slap in the face for all those who lied about the relationship between the Government of Eritrea and the people of Eritrea everywhere. It was a slap in the face for the minority regime in Ethiopia led by Meles Zenawi to see representatives of the various Ethiopian populations, the Oromo, Ogadeni, Amhara and the Somali marching with Eritreans in protest of the unjust and unfair sanctions imposed on Eritrea. The people of the Horn were united in their protest against Washington´s racist and incoherent policies for the Horn of Africa, and its hostile policy on Eritrea.
The silenced majority was fed up, fed up with th elies, fed up with the crimes, fed up with the injustices, fed up with the unjust policies, fed up with corrupt and bankrupt junior diplomats running the Bureau of African Affairs, fed up with death and destruction in the Horn region adn fed up with propping up illegitimate and genocidal regimes, like the minority regime in Ethiopia led by Meles Zenawi, that are destablizing the Horn region and they came to Washington to let their lend their own voices to the voices of justice adn truth. They paid their monies and reserved buses, trains and air tickets to speak for themselves, and they came in the hundreds and thousands. They were not cowed and they were not going to allow a bunch of mercenaries stand in their way. So these mercenaries can go write their fabricated reports …history and the people of Eritrea will judge them and judge them harshly.
After the Rally, their lies did not end. They went on to downplay the historic event. They claimed that the turnout was disappointing to the organizers. That too is a lie. The turn out was amazing and more than what the organizers, who are the people themselves, ever expected. The pictures cannot lie and the videos cannot lie. The American people in Washington, DC and San Francisco know what they witnessed. The tourists in front of the White House know what they witnessed. The DC police and State Department police know what they witnessed. It is shameful to try and deceive an entire nation. The only people who did not come where the EQL and that was expected, as they were not invited. The rally was not for the enemies of Eritrea, it was for Eritreans and friends of Eritrea.
Today, with the many social networking sites and the internet available for each and every participant to tell his or her story, the truth will prevail. Gone are the days when ordinary Americans relied on the main stream media for their information. Today, the people are conscious. They know that the so-called "democracy", "human rights" and "religious rights" activists, well-paid Western experts and lobbyists, and media moguls are there to help dictators such as Meles Zenawi of Ethiopia improve their image and win elections. They no longer represent the will of the people.
For pictures and reports on the rallies in Washington, DC, San Francisco, Geneva and Melbourne, Australia, please visit the following sites:
www.dehai.org
www.mekete.com
www.e-smart@eritrean-smart.org
For a message from Dawit Daniel, an 8 year old Eritrean American to President Barack Obama, you can watch it here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eqnQBYUKkyA
Full report of Washington Rally below:
Eritreans march in Washington, DC to protest against UNSC Resolution 1907
On the 22nd of February 2010, tens of thousands of Eritreans and Friends of Eritrea took to the streets of Washington, DC to protest against the unfair , unjust and illegal Security Council Resolution 1907 (2009) and the sanctions against Eritrea. The demonstration in Washington, DC is part of the world wide day of protest. Similar rallies were conducted in San Francisco, CA, Melbourne Australia, and Geneva Switzerland.
It is to be recalled that, on 23 December 2009-the UN Security Council passed a resolution imposing sanctions on Eritrea, with full support of the United States and the British Government for the unsubstantiated allegations made in the Monitoring Groups December 2008 report which claimed that, Eritrea has provided political, financial and logistical support to armed groups engaged in undermining peace and reconciliation in Somalia. Eritrea has consistently asked for the Security Council to provide the said evidences and none has been delivered to date.
According to the U.N. Security Council's Somalia Sanctions Committee, "elements of the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia known as AMISOM, and Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG)" are involved in arms trafficking activities. Furthermore, eighty percent of ammunition available at the Somali arms markets was supplied by the TFG and Ethiopian troops." The Committee also reported of getting details of some 25 military flights by Ethiopia into Somalia and knew that Ethiopian troops had brought military equipment into the country to arm friendly clans to cover up the failures in the world and certainly in the horn of Africa.
The Demonstrators arrived in Washington, DC, the nations capital from cities and towns across the United States. Participants from St. Louis MO drove for about 13 hours to come to Washington. Mehari Goben Tecle, Mewael Ogbe and Fisseha W/Michael came with 14 others to take part in the historical event. Tigisti came all the way from Seattle, Washington, eight year old Dawit Daniel traveled with his family from New York City and when he took the stage to speak, he had the crowd roaring. Everyone came to add their voices to the thousands of their countrymen and women who were holding similar rallies in San Francisco, Europe and Australia. They gathered at Lafayette Park in front of the White House in a colorful show of unity and determination to bring public awareness to the latest US injustice committed against the people of Eritrea.
Carrying banners and placards, they chanted catchy slogans such as Ensure food security, Defeat sanctions, Stop US historic injustice against Eritrea, No to Sanctions - Yes to Engagement. Placards directed at the Obama Administration said OBAMA: Where is the change we can believe in, OBAMA: You are on the wrong side of history and OBAMA-Where is the new beginning for Africa. At abut 11:30, they lined up in rows of 10 to begin the mile and half trek to the US State Department, as that was the main venue for the duration of the rally. Cheering and chanting catch slogans as they made their way down 19th Street past the World Bank and other key Washington institutions, they waved to workers who peeked through their windows. Several groups representing various Horn residents participated in the rally in a strong show of solidarity with the people of Eritrea. The youth, who led the march handed out flyers and urged all to seek justice and peace for the Horn of Africa. At the US State Department, letters to Presid ent Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton were given to Ms. Maria Beyzerov, the Eritrea Desk Officer. 4 huge file folders containing the signatures of 107,000 Eritreans and friends of Eritrea were also given to Ms. Beyzerov.
Organization
The superior organization was evident in the manner with which the rally was conducted, the event was flawless. All sorts of buses and minivans brought Eritreans from places far and near. Busloads came from Atlanta, GA, Boston, Massachusetts, Chicago, Illinois, Columbus, Ohio, St. Louis, Missouri, Minneapolis, Minnesota, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and across the border from Toronto, Canada. The cool weather was not a deterrent and the winter coats did not hide the colorful attires. The white snow still on the ground, it contrasted well with the color and beauty of the procession, making for a great picture day. Eritrean and American flags waved in the cool wind and young and old, men women and children marched in unison calling for the annulment and repeal of the unjust, unfair and illegal US-UN sanctions against Eritrea. The rally was broadcast live on Eritrean television. During the 30 year struggle for Eritreas independence Eritreans, such rallies were common place. With each atrocity perpetrated on the people of Eritrea, they came to voice their concerns. A rally held in 2006 brought over 11,000 to the nations capital. This time, with so many youth in the mix, the number has grown substantially.
Speeches and Messages of Solidarity
Outside the US State Department after a brief welcoming message from Freweini, Tekeste, the Chairperson of the DC Organizing Committee,. There were also other speakers present and amongst them were several groups representing various populations in the Horn of Africa addressed the crowd. They each brought messages of greetings and solidarity. They condemned the unjust, unfair and illegal sanctions imposed on the State of Eritrea and its peace-loving people and called on the US government to change its incoherent policies for the Horn of Africa region. They re-affirmed their commitment to working side by side with their Eritrean neighbors to bring about change in the Horn region and alleviate the pain and suffering wrought by the minority regime in Ethiopia led by Meles Zenawi, Washington´s ally in the region. The youth took center stage at this rally and they came through with flying colors.
Congratulations to the people of Eritrea!
Print
Email
