Major demonstration of solidarity with Eritrean refugees in Libya
Manchester saw hundreds of protestors marching in solidarity with Eritrean refugees in Libya this Saturday.
According to Manchester Evening News, the demonstration began in Piccadilly Gardens at noon October 16 before crowds marched through Manchester to St Peter’s Square by 2pm.
The crowds chanted both English and Tigrinya slogans like ‘we need justice – stop killing our people’, ‘refugee lives matter’, and ‘our brothers and sisters are being killed’. They also urged the west and human rights groups to get involved and stop the injustice.
What is happening to the Eritrean refugees in Libya?
One protestor, Elilta Araya, explained to MEN that “people are dying, they are getting tortured, trafficked. They are not living in the best of conditions, so we have to do something about it. (Phentermine) ”
Saturday’s demonstration was one of several demonstrations held around the UK in recent weeks following recent events in Libya, where hundreds of refugees have been protesting in the capital city Tripoli, calling for their own evacuation.
According to Associated Press, Libyan authorities performed a ‘massive crackdown on migrants’ in the town of Gargaresh, which saw more than 5,000 people detained.
These people were subjected to various degrees of torture, sexual assault and other abuses, and were kept in overcrowded conditions, A.P. reported.
The UN said that six refugees were even shot dead by guards outside the Mabani detention center in Tripoli. Libya’s interior ministry claimed that just one person had died.
One community, no matter the distance
Luwam Bahta, 19, from Manchester, was one of the protesters to speak out at the event. She told the Manchester Evening News that the difficulty refugees face has affected her own family, as well as many others in attendance.
“We are protesting because this has affected us as a community, we have family and friends over there that have been killed and we are just trying to be a voice for them.
“People are dying every day. Children as young as 15 are making dangerous journeys through the Sahara Desert to Libya, they are being trafficked, and nobody is saying anything about it.
“My father had to make the risky journey. I’ve lost uncles that have tried to make that journey.
“It’s very deeply heartbreaking, because some of them are really young, some are pregnant mothers. Families are being separated and that’s why it’s very painful.”
Source: Manchester Evening News
(Featured Image: Twitter/ doyotingz)
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