About 1,000 officers were deployed at this year's Eritrea Festival in Giessen, Germany. AFP
About 1,000 officers were deployed at this year's Eritrea Festival in Giessen, Germany. AFP
About 1,000 officers were deployed at this year's Eritrea Festival in Giessen, Germany. AFP
About 1,000 officers were deployed at this year's Eritrea Festival in Giessen, Germany. AFP

German police say 22 officers wounded in violence at Eritrean festival in Giessen


Laura O'Callaghan
  • English
  • Arabic

Violence at a disputed Eritrean music festival in the German town of Giessen has left 22 police officers wounded.

Law enforcement officers fired tear gas and used water cannon to quell the unrest.

Videos showed throngs of men shouting and running on streets.

"Twenty-two police were injured, mainly in incidents of stone throwing," regional police said on Twitter.

About 1,000 police were deployed in this town of 80,000 residents north of Frankfurt after last year's festival descended into violence.

Between 2,000 and 3,000 people had been expected to attend this year's event, due to run until Sunday. Police did not give details of any arrests.

Clips posted on Twitter appeared to show several men sitting on the ground with their hands in handcuffs.

Officers in riot gear could be seen attending to one man who appeared to be unconscious.

The organisers are accused of being close to the authorities in the small and secretive one-party African state, where critics are sent to prison and civilians are conscripted for life or forced into labour under an extreme policy of national service.

Eritrea has been sanctioned for meddling in regional conflicts.

The Red Sea nation broke away from Ethiopia in May 1991 and formally declared independence on May 24, 1993. It is led by Issaias Afeworki, who is known for his authoritarian rule.

Six large-scale objects on show
  • Concrete wall and windows from the now demolished Robin Hood Gardens housing estate in Poplar
  • The 17th Century Agra Colonnade, from the bathhouse of the fort of Agra in India
  • A stagecloth for The Ballet Russes that is 10m high – the largest Picasso in the world
  • Frank Lloyd Wright’s 1930s Kaufmann Office
  • A full-scale Frankfurt Kitchen designed by Margarete Schütte-Lihotzky, which transformed kitchen design in the 20th century
  • Torrijos Palace dome
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet

Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465

Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder

Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm

Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm

Transmission: Nine-speed automatic

Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Ethree%20three%20212.7kWh%20motors%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201%2C000bhp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E15%2C600Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ERange%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20530km%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dh500%2C000%2B%20est%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eearly%202023%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The five pillars of Islam

1. Fasting 

2. Prayer 

3. Hajj 

4. Shahada 

5. Zakat 

Updated: July 08, 2023, 4:27 PM`