RE: Appeal to Cancel “Festival Eritrea” on Sunday, August 6, 2023, at Sheraton Toronto
RE: Appeal to Cancel “Festival Eritrea” on Sunday, August 6, 2023, at Sheraton Toronto
The Issue
Dear Sheraton Centre Toronto Management Team,
We, the undersigned, wish to express our grievance with Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel for allowing the upcoming “Eritrea Festival” event to take place on August 6, 2023 at 7pm-1am. The event is sponsored by the totalitarian regime of Eritrea through operatives in Toronto to raise funds to finance its military establishment. The Eritrean government is one of the most repressive regimes in the world that continues to commit gross human rights violations and war crimes.
We strongly call upon Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel to cancel the upcoming Eritrean “festival” scheduled to take place on its grounds on August 6th. Unlike community based cultural festivals, this event is an extension of internationally orchestrated state-sponsored fundraising scheme devised to circumvent Canadian and U.S. sanctions. These events are directed and organized by diplomatic missions of the state of Eritrea using local shadowy organizations.
Eritrea has one of the world's largest diaspora population per capita. The country's foreign policy is deeply rooted and plays a vital role in the regime's stability, especially in the economic sector. Eritreans in the diaspora are exposed to several forms of oppression, which includes financial extortion, intelligence gathering, threats and/or violence enforced by its diplomatic missions around the world.
Recently there was a massive public outcry that ignited protests across Europe in Sweden, U.K., Switzerland, Holland, Germany and Norway against the state sponsored “Festival Eritrea” events. Unfortunately, the event in Giessen, Germany turned to be ugly when regime supporters and human rights activists clashed during the protest, and twenty-six police officers were injured. Subsequently, the festival in U.K., was cancelled by the London Borough of Harrow Council.
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-26-officers-injured-at-eritrean-festival-police/a-66165991
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66145900
One of the most prominent methods used by the Eritrean state to exercise control over the diaspora is through collection of the so-called Diaspora tax (which is forbidden in Canada). The tax is paid in order to get consular assistance (for example, renewing passports) and for relatives in Eritrea to have access to public services (for example, being allowed to bury a relative). The Eritrean regime tries to strengthen diaspora's sense of patriotism and loyalty by organizing festivals, seminars and parties such as the planned event for August 6, 2023.
Today, Eritrea is plagued by countless human rights violations; there is no constitution, no free press, no functioning parliament, no independent NGOs, and no respect for fundamental rights. The regime has established a system where millions of Eritrean youths are confined as slaves to indefinite military service, deprived of education, employment, and hope for a better future. Families are torn apart as thousands of Eritreans are abducted from their homes, offices, and streets, without any knowledge of their whereabouts or the reasons for their detention.
The Eritrean community consists of a huge influx of refugees who call Canada home, a considerable number of whom have settled in Toronto and surrounding areas. These refugees have travelled treacherous treks to escape from the iron-grip repression, and some of them have suffered psychological and physical harm. Most of them have memories of trauma and torture inflicted upon them by the institutions of the regime, and such festival evokes those memories. In an interview with National Post, one Eritrean refugee said, “We left the nation because they didn’t respect our rights, but still the government is trying to violate our rights while we are in Canada. It’s really unfair”.
It is against this backdrop that Eritrean human rights activists and justice seekers, in Toronto and surrounding areas, strongly oppose the festival organized by the Eritrean regime. These gatherings are not authentic celebrations of Eritrean culture, but rather state-sponsored events to extract hard currency from diaspora Eritreans.
We trust Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel will, as a reputable and socially responsible corporate citizen, take appropriate action to cancel the planned event.
Sincerely,
Concerned Eritrean Canadian residents.
The Issue
Dear Sheraton Centre Toronto Management Team,
We, the undersigned, wish to express our grievance with Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel for allowing the upcoming “Eritrea Festival” event to take place on August 6, 2023 at 7pm-1am. The event is sponsored by the totalitarian regime of Eritrea through operatives in Toronto to raise funds to finance its military establishment. The Eritrean government is one of the most repressive regimes in the world that continues to commit gross human rights violations and war crimes.
We strongly call upon Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel to cancel the upcoming Eritrean “festival” scheduled to take place on its grounds on August 6th. Unlike community based cultural festivals, this event is an extension of internationally orchestrated state-sponsored fundraising scheme devised to circumvent Canadian and U.S. sanctions. These events are directed and organized by diplomatic missions of the state of Eritrea using local shadowy organizations.
Eritrea has one of the world's largest diaspora population per capita. The country's foreign policy is deeply rooted and plays a vital role in the regime's stability, especially in the economic sector. Eritreans in the diaspora are exposed to several forms of oppression, which includes financial extortion, intelligence gathering, threats and/or violence enforced by its diplomatic missions around the world.
Recently there was a massive public outcry that ignited protests across Europe in Sweden, U.K., Switzerland, Holland, Germany and Norway against the state sponsored “Festival Eritrea” events. Unfortunately, the event in Giessen, Germany turned to be ugly when regime supporters and human rights activists clashed during the protest, and twenty-six police officers were injured. Subsequently, the festival in U.K., was cancelled by the London Borough of Harrow Council.
https://www.dw.com/en/germany-26-officers-injured-at-eritrean-festival-police/a-66165991
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-66145900
One of the most prominent methods used by the Eritrean state to exercise control over the diaspora is through collection of the so-called Diaspora tax (which is forbidden in Canada). The tax is paid in order to get consular assistance (for example, renewing passports) and for relatives in Eritrea to have access to public services (for example, being allowed to bury a relative). The Eritrean regime tries to strengthen diaspora's sense of patriotism and loyalty by organizing festivals, seminars and parties such as the planned event for August 6, 2023.
Today, Eritrea is plagued by countless human rights violations; there is no constitution, no free press, no functioning parliament, no independent NGOs, and no respect for fundamental rights. The regime has established a system where millions of Eritrean youths are confined as slaves to indefinite military service, deprived of education, employment, and hope for a better future. Families are torn apart as thousands of Eritreans are abducted from their homes, offices, and streets, without any knowledge of their whereabouts or the reasons for their detention.
The Eritrean community consists of a huge influx of refugees who call Canada home, a considerable number of whom have settled in Toronto and surrounding areas. These refugees have travelled treacherous treks to escape from the iron-grip repression, and some of them have suffered psychological and physical harm. Most of them have memories of trauma and torture inflicted upon them by the institutions of the regime, and such festival evokes those memories. In an interview with National Post, one Eritrean refugee said, “We left the nation because they didn’t respect our rights, but still the government is trying to violate our rights while we are in Canada. It’s really unfair”.
It is against this backdrop that Eritrean human rights activists and justice seekers, in Toronto and surrounding areas, strongly oppose the festival organized by the Eritrean regime. These gatherings are not authentic celebrations of Eritrean culture, but rather state-sponsored events to extract hard currency from diaspora Eritreans.
We trust Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel will, as a reputable and socially responsible corporate citizen, take appropriate action to cancel the planned event.
Sincerely,
Concerned Eritrean Canadian residents.
Petition Closed
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Petition created on July 30, 2023