EYSC-UK along with other youth and ENCDC members held a vocal but peaceful demonstration

EYSC-UK along with other youth and ENCDC members held a vocal but peaceful demonstration outside the PFDJ Festival at the Lee Valley centre in Enfield, London. Wearing black and white prisoners t-shirt and hand chained in solidarity, they brought the spirit of defiance to the streets of UK where the Eritrean community have turned their back on the PFDJ. Youth social and political defiance activism and political opposition organizations come together often, but rarely in such combustible form as in London demonstration yesterday.

'Human Rights and Justice' 'Release Prisoners of Conscience' 'Enough is Enough' 'Dictator Must Go', comprised some of the angry chants of the day.

The demonstration was called on the 11th Anniversary of the imprisonment of 11 members of Eritrean ministers and parliament known as G15 and 10 journalists. They are prisoners of conscience who have been detained without charge or trial solely for expressing their non-violent opinions like thousands of others who preceded and followed them. It is noted that the G11 led a growing mutiny or dissident demanding for a democratic reform through the implementation of the Eritrean Constitution and pluralism which affirms a multi-party civilian democratic political system with fair and free elections. Conversely the independent press that is essential for democracy and which published the dissenting views of the G15 were completely shut down and their journalists thrown into prison along with members of the G15.

Finally, we reminded the dwindling number of the PFDJ festival goers that we won’t rest until all prisoners of conscience are released and the demand of the Eritrean cause is realized. In the end all the demonstrators gathered one final time outside the venue and read out the names of the prisoners of conscience quite loudly one by one and said we have not forgotten you!