Eritreans remember war dead

Hundreds gathered to remember the dead in London

By Martin Plaut

Hundreds of Eritreans gathered in London's Hyde Park on Sunday to commemorate their war dead.

Families marched from across the city to join the meeting.

It was definitely a family day out, with children playing on the grass and footballs being kicked around.

But once the formal ceremony got under way, the tone was much more serious.

Religious leaders led prayers and there was a message from President Isaias Afewerki, calling on the community to build on the sacrifices of the past, read by the ambassador to Britain, Girmay Gebremariam.

After the speeches, men and women gathered round to light candles - to remember those they had lost in Eritrea's long war of independence.

Boycott

But although the meeting was well attended, not everyone from the community came to Hyde Park.

Some chose to boycott the official ceremony because of the government's crackdown against dissidents and Eritrean journalists - holding small private ceremonies in their homes.

In the Swedish capital, Stockholm there was an alternative public event.

And in Washington the official commemoration at the Jefferson memorial was matched by an unofficial ceremony at the Lincoln memorial, attended by Hebret Berhe, the former Eritrean ambassador to Scandinavia, who was among those who resigned over the arrest of leading Eritreans last September