Eritreans and Ethiopians Joined by Friends for Silent Demo in Geneva to Mourn Victims of Drowning and Beheading in Libya
2015-04-27 06:07:47 Written by EPDP Information Office Published in English Articles Read 2983 times-
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EPDP Information Office
On Saturday, 25 April, over 500 Geneva residents staged a silent demonstration in memory of those hundreds of Eritreans, Ethiopians and others who were drowned in the Mediterranean Sea and those beheaded by Islamist extremists in Libya simply because of their religion.
Jointly organized by Eritrean and Ethiopian civil society groups, the demonstration walked for kilometer and gathered in front of the statutes of Calvin and other historic leaders of the city of Geneva. The demonstration participants were called for a moment of silence by Ms Huda Omar Bekhit, one of the young Eritrean organizers of the event.
Young Verona Almedom of the Anti-Slavery Campaign, Tedros Teklemariam, chair of a newly formed civl movement in Geneva, coordinated the speeches presented by Geneva city representatives and Eritrean and Ethiopian civil society members deeply regretting the failure of Europe to save lives in its doorsteps and condemning the brutal beheadings of Eritrean and Ethiopians asylum seekers for the simple reason of their being Christians.
The speakers emphasized the most urgent need of addressing the push factors that are forcing so many Eritreans and others to leave their home in search of safety and better live.
It was reported by UNHCR officials that not less than 350 Eritreans perished when a rickety boat carrying up to 800 persons capsized in the Mediterranean Sea five days ago. A survivor of the IS beheadings in Libya also estimated that the vast majority of those beheaded by the fanatic group in Libya were from Eritrea.
