Another shameful day for Weyane Ambassador in The Hague, The Netherlands

Ethioguardian News
Video Here

A meeting organised by Weyane embassy cancelled after angry Ethiopians demanded their right to express their view.

Ethioguardian (10-07-2007, The Hague): A meeting that was organised by Ethiopian embassy and some EPRDF supporters in the Netherlands was cancelled yesterday due to protest from the participants. The organisers of the meeting invited some hand picked EPRDF supporters and others to symbolise the support of the Ethiopians in the Diaspora. The meeting was cancelled after the chair persons, deputy Ambassador Brook Kebede and EPRDF’s top diplomat first secretary Zenebe Kebede, tried to silence some Ethiopians who explained the actual picture of Ethiopia and Ethiopians presently. The chair person of the meeting, deputy Ambassador Brook Kebede, cancelled the meeting against the will of Ethiopians, who were expressing their view and forwarding their ideas. The participants also asked the chairperson to answer questions regarding human rights and the condition of political prisoners, which he resisted to accept and cancelled the meeting at that point. Video coming soon!

The first speaker Ato Zenebe Kebede, EPRDF’s first secretary, talked about the current state of the country, Ethio-Eritrean conflict and Ethio-Somalia problem, in the usual way of the woyane propaganda. He was interrupted many times by concerned Ethiopians as he continued to forward conflicting information, which was in contrary to what actually exists inside the country and knowledge of the audience.

The second speaker, deputy Ambassador Brook Kebede, explained the fake economic development in Ethiopia and tried to relate the alarming inflation, increased price of commodities to unrelated factors, in which he tried to cover the existing situation in Ethiopia. The deputy ambassador faced a lot of criticism form the public while he insisted to fool his own invited guests by undermining knowledge and information about their country. One participant expressed his sadness by saying “you are an economist who forgot the science of economics when you start to serve EPRDF”. As the resistance continued, the ambassador called the Hotel security to expel the Ethiopians who were expressing their ideas in a democratic and civilised manner. At this point, the participants were reminded about the Agazi force, which is silencing the peace loving Ethiopians because of their peaceful attempt to request their natural democratic right. The ambassador used EPRDF’s usual technique of employing force to remove the Ethiopians who do not agree with their view. Among the attendants one Ethiopian stated “it is ridicules and shame, in this single incident to observe how EPRDF’s functionaries are intolerants for different ideas, and also manifest their determination to silence opposition through all means even here in the civilised world.” After a short discussion, the hotel security left without taking any action because he understood it was only a conflict of ideas, and that Ethiopians were expressing their ideas in a peaceful way.

Especially when one of the participants started to ask and comment on EPRDF’s external and internal policy, the deputy ambassador and the first secretary were unhappy to listen to his ideas and comments. At one point the EPRDF diplomat tried to take the microphone from the speakers hand by force.
At the end the deputy ambassador closed the meeting as Ethiopians continued to forward their view on EPRDF repression, the current situation in Ethiopia, the human and economical crisis in Ethiopia, specifically, the ambassador cancelled the meeting when the human rights situation in Ethiopia and political prisoners were mentioned.

This was a very amazing drama, which indicates the manner and the level of intolerance how high EPRDF officials and diplomats react to different views, let alone inside the country, but here in Europe. Observers at the event have taken this as a symbolic reflection of Ethiopia under the current illegitimate regime and treatment of real opposition inside the country. Additionally, some of the EPRDF supporters commented that the meeting was almost dominated by opposition reflection, which was against its intended goal of praising EPRDF’s policy.

One participant commented that “they invited us for discussion and to listen to their presentation, although it is fallacious and inconsistent to what is going on inside the country”. After that, people start to give their view, but the government officials lost their patience when they start to listen a contrary to their view”. The same participant also added that, “this chance of discussion should be given to the people back in Ethiopia, not for the Ethiopians in Diaspora.”

In a related development, according to sources closed to the embassy in Brussels, the same meeting was scheduled to be chaired by ambassador Berhane Geberekristos. But due to fear of anticipated protest and severe critics from Ethiopians residing in the Netherlands, he declined to face the audience.

Last week, the Ethiopian ambassador failed to show up on European commission hearing on the human right and economical crisis in Ethiopia, for which he gave a vague reason for his absence. A week later, the same ambassador came to the Netherlands, to lecture about development and progress in Ethiopia. This was a very painful action for Ethiopians who were present on the European commission hearing.

In recent periods, every meeting organised by the EPRDF regime embassies and consulates were disrupted by protest against the government. In the last two years alone, a dozen of government officials were embarrassed and cancelled a lot of meetings. All the above reactions are indicators of persistent protest of Ethiopian Diaspora.