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The Guardian - AU
The Guardian - AU
National
Kelly Burke

Police on alert for potential violence at Eritrean festival in Melbourne

Melbourne Police Eritrea Isaias Afwerki United Nations Andrew Giles
A supporter of the Eritrean government at an event picketed by protesters in Canada last year.
A supporter of the Eritrean government at an event picketed by protesters in Canada last year. Australian authorities are concerned at the possibility of violence at this weekend’s event in Melbourne, where members of the pro-democracy group Birged Nhamedu say they will protest peacefully against the regime of Isaias Afwerki. Photograph: Reuters

Australian federal police and government officials have met representatives of the Eritrean community in a bid to avoid potential violence during a planned cultural festival in Melbourne’s western suburbs this weekend.

Similar events held in Europe and North America in recent months have ended in violence and arrests, as supporters of the African nation’s regime clashed with members of the pro-democracy youth movement Birged Nhamedu.

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