Demonstrations
Riots in Stuttgart at Eritrea meeting
A group of people are surrounded by police forces after riots at an Eritrean event. photo
© Jason Cheplyakov/dpa
Injured officers, arrests and videos with brutal scenes: This is the sad outcome of the riots at the Stuttgart Roman fort. The police are investigating who is behind the violence.
After massive riots on the sidelines of an Eritrea meeting in The city of Stuttgart wants to contact the affected groups as soon as possible. “We will immediately start talking to the clubs based in Stuttgart next week,” said the city’s integration officer Gari Pavkovic.
“Our line in regular discussions with the various migrant organizations is that we in Stuttgart will not tolerate any arguments or riots related to the conflicts in the countries of origin.”
There were violent riots in Stuttgart on Saturday afternoon on the sidelines of an Eritrea event. A police spokesman said up to 200 people attacked police officers with stones, bottles and wooden slats. A statement from the night said 26 officers were injured, six of whom were treated in hospital.
Police: We were the buffer stop
In their own opinion, the police found themselves caught between the fronts of supporters and opponents of the Eritrean regime. “Today we were the buffer stop for an Eritrean conflict that was carried out with massive violence on the streets of Stuttgart,” said Stuttgart Police Vice President Carsten Höfler that night.
The police surrounded 200 people in the evening to record their personal details and issue expulsions. A spokesman said in the evening that they were all accused of a serious breach of the peace. Shortly before midnight, people were still surrounded. During the night, the police announced that the operation had ended and the groups had disbanded. According to a spokesman, no one was arrested.
No reasons for ban
According to police, the trigger was an event organized by the Association of Eritrean Clubs in Stuttgart and the surrounding area. The clubs sympathized with the government in Eritrea, said the police spokesman. Opposition members and opponents of the regime gathered and attacked the officials and participants in the meeting at the Stuttgart Roman fort. The police defended themselves against the attackers with batons and pepper spray. Forces were called in from surrounding police headquarters and the federal police. Police officers were also flown in by helicopter.
It was initially unclear which of the two groups caused how much violence. Who threw the first stone has yet to be determined, but the event was the attraction, the spokesman said. The police want to make press statements on site on Sunday (12 p.m.).
In the city’s opinion, there were no reasons to ban the Eritrea meeting. “Gatherings in closed rooms do not require registration,” the state capital announced on Saturday evening. “There were no reasons to ban today’s Eritrea event.” The city of Stuttgart will draw conclusions from the results of the public prosecutor’s investigation.
In July there were riots at an Eritrea festival in the Hessian city of Gießen. At least 26 police officers were injured when opponents of the event attacked security forces by throwing stones and bottles and setting off smoke bombs. Among other things, the officers used batons against them. The organizers of the event in Giessen were close to the controversial leadership of the East African country. In August, violent riots broke out at an Eritrean festival in Stockholm, leaving more than 50 people injured.