Gang Violence in Shkhunat Ha Tikva.
A Brigade of Tigrayan Avengers that started violence against peaceful Diaspora Eritreans in Europe, Canada, and the United States, to obscure Tigray Peoples Liberation Front’s (TPLF) defeat on the battlefield, is now creating havoc in a Tel Aviv neighborhood called Shkhunat Ha Tikva. The group emerged on the scene in November 2020 raising funds for the TPLF and shouting the Tigray wins slogan. It publicly declared it was a branch of the Tigray Defense Forces (TDF). When the TPLF was defeated and signed a surrender agreement in Pretoria, in November 2022, the gang changed its shirt to an old Eritrean flag and started attacking anything that was Eritrean. It has been angry at the Eritrean army’s support to the Ethiopian federal army during the 2020-2022 Ethiopian civil war and its motto is revenge.
Unlike in Israel, the law in Europe, Canada, and the United States caught up and the terrorist gang’s members were hunted down by the police and ending in prison cells. The foot soldiers have received criminal records in their files and lost their status in the countries where they reside as refugees. The Dutch government has started an investigation to determine if the group can be formally designated as a terrorist. Many of its members are fleeing Europe and trekking to the United States through Mexico. The legal measures in Europe, Canada, and the United States are expected to continue, and hundreds are yet to be prosecuted. However, for unknown reasons, unlike in Europe, Canada and the United States, in Israel the group is allowed to roam the streets of Shkhunat Ha Tikva freely, attack, robe, and kill peaceful Eritrean refugees. The members of the Terrorist group live in the Safaria, Tel Aviv neighborhood, and come to Shkhunat Ha Tikva in groups to find their victims. The group has a military-style structure and possesses a spy wing. A recently leaked video indicates that the group’s spy wing, made of women, conspiring on how a Young Eritrean refugee mother of two can be killed. In other countries this video could be enough to prosecute the conspirators, but not in Israel.
The group collects taxes from Eritrean migrants in Israel and attacks those who refuse to pay. The recent killing of an Eritrean small business owner, a father of three young kids, is a typical example how the gang terrorizes the community without any consequences. The story goes like this. A group of Brigade N’Hamedu gang members visited his small grocery store in broad daylight and asked him to increase his monthly pay previously set at $600. The grocery store owner told them because he had a big family to support, he could not increase the extortion monthly pay. The gang members ordered him to vacate his small grocery store in twenty-four hours. When he failed to do so, they came back the next day and killed him.
Reporting to the police does not get you protection and this is happening in the eyes of the sophisticated Israeli security apparatus. Observers indicate that members of the Ethiopian Israeli Felasha community who hail from the Tigray region of Ethiopia may be offering support to the gang group. Overall, because of the unhinged attack by the gang, Eritrean refugees in Israel cannot go to work, worship in a church, or take their kids to school. Again, this is happening in the eyes of the Israeli police. Gathering to celebrate their culture and baptizing their kids in a church is also unthinkable. Recently another Eritrean who left a hospital to buy a child seat for his newly born child was killed by the gang and never had a chance to see his child and wife again. The gang’s orders are specific, anyone who hangs an Eritrean flag, celebrates Eritrean holidays or does not pay protection tax is a primary target. The objective is to Erase the Eritrean identity of the refugees and instill obedience to the gang. The leaders are known to the Israeli police and spew violence on their you-tube channels every day with no consequences. Peaceful gathering is the cornerstone of Israeli democracy. But that does not apply to Eritrean refugees in Israel. Even funeral gatherings are dispersed by the Israeli police using brute force. A recent picture that shows Ethiopian Israeli police attacking Eritreans who were mourning the killing of the grocery store owner was another evidence that the Israeli police have a soft corner for the gang. Who are the Members of the Gang?
Tigrayans Who claimed Refugee states as Eritreans.
After the 1998-2000 Eritrea and Ethiopia Border War ended, TPLF and its Western handlers devised a plan to deplete Eritrean human resources and weaken its defense capabilities. As part of the strategy, they established refugee camps a few miles away from the Eritrean border, in Tigray, Ethiopia, and disseminated a wide angled propaganda to lure young Eritreans to the refugee camps. Concurrently the United Nations Higher Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) put a guideline that gives Eritreans automatic acceptance as refugees in any country in the world. After securing such privileges the TPLF confiscated the identification cards of the Eritreans who arrived at the refugee camps and passed them to Tigrayans who impersonated the Eritreans. The Tigrayans ended up settling as Eritrean refugees in Europe, Australia, and North America, and the Eritreans were left to languish in the refugee camps in Tigray for more than a decade. When the 2020 war between the Ethiopian Federal government and the TPLF combatants started, to revenge the government of Eritrea’s support to the Ethiopian Federal government the TPLF combatants killed and raped the Eritrean refugees who were in the Tigray refugee camps. Currently, the Tigrayan, Eritrean impersonators, are the ones who are extending the revenge act in Europe, Israel, and North America and storming Eritrean festivals and attacking unsuspecting diaspora Eritrean communities who have no interest other than celebrating their culture and history.
Eritrea Born Tigrayans and Tigrayans who Married to Eritreans.
Due to the decades-long war between Eritrea and Ethiopia, cross-border marriage between Tigrayans and Eritreans is often discouraged. Accordingly, this group has an identity crisis and dreams beyond its means. For this group to be valued in both Eritrea and Tigray It wants to create a new country in East Africa that incorporates Tigray and Eritrea. It often uses its proximity to the Eritrean and Tigrayan cultures and tries to create hate and confusion against the Eritrean Muslim community. This group often hails from the highlands of Eritrea and the Tigray region and considers the Eritrean Moslems as an obstacle to its agenda. Except for working hard to be validated in both Eritrea and Tigray, it does not have any political program. It wants to erase Eritrean history, does not believe in Eritrean independence, and desecrates everything that advances Eritreanism. It openly advocates Eritreanism as its enemy because it does not include Tigray. This group would attack anyone who carries the official Eritrean flag and expresses his/her proud Eritrean heritage. It is against everything that Eritrea is meant for Eritreans. It has a deep inferiority complex and is very violent.
Youtubers and Power-Hungry Individuals, So-Called Activists.
As we all know YouTube business flourishes when there is conflict, war, and unrest. Previously obscure YouTubers made a lot of money out of the recent (2020-2022) Ethiopian civil war. When TPLF was defeated and signed a surrender agreement in Pretoria, South Africa, they were scared that their business would dry up. Under the direction of the TPLF, they started propping up terrorist gangs, who have financial and personal problems and prepped them to throw stones and storm Eritrean diaspora community festivals. Accordingly, YouTubers such as Tefetawi Talk show, Assena, Erisat, J. Studio, ERIPM and Finan App infotech are deeply emersed in creating such a bridge that would transition them from broadcasting breaking news from Tigray to broadcasting breaking news from Europe and North America. To be clear these groups of YouTubers have had relationships with the TPLF for a considerable period and served as a channel for the TPLF to distribute money to the Terrorist gangs. In fact, at a certain point, these YouTubers were also funded by TPLF. Also, in this camp, there are power-hungry failed activists who serve as TPLF interlocutors whose main interest is to guide the terrorist activities and share money with the YouTubers and other external parties that have a vested interest in the terrorist activity against the Eritrean Diaspora communities.
Money Hungry Foot Soldiers and Disgruntled Eritreans.
TPLF invests a huge amount of money to advance these Terrorist activities. A few years ago, a TPLF financing agent, by the Nickname of “Pilot”, used to distribute money to anyone who was vocal in criticizing the Eritrean government. He was exposed because he put money into someone’s bank account who did not know the scheme and asked why anyone would put $5000 into his bank account. As we all know, being a refugee in Europe is tough. By taking such hardship as an opportunity TPLF buys the voice of unsuspecting young refugees in Europe. In addition to the lack of job opportunities, some disgruntled Eritreans who deserted the army could not return home. This group of individuals does not have the means to cover their transportation costs or sleep in a basic hotel. The combination of economic hardship, alcoholism, drug addiction, and loneliness create a ticking bomb that can explode at any time. Unfortunately, such frustration leads to crossing the rule of law and ending up in legal jeopardy very difficult to recover from. Also, many of them get hurt by the police and even end up dead.
Conclusion.
Whatever injustice may exist in Eritrea, you cannot solve it by throwing stones against women and children in Europe, North America, and Israel. The “if I cannot convince you I will destroy you” logic is the highest level of hopelessness in life. Whatever hatred the European, North American, and Israeli governments have against the Eritrean government, they have a constitutional obligation to protect the Eritrean Diaspora Community from violence perpetrated by the above-mentioned delusional groups. Violence negates constitutional order and governments end up reigning on terrorists. In the end, the violence will be between the police and the terrorists. The sad story is the Israeli Police are not showing a willingness to take the gang’s activities under control. One thing is sure, even though the Israeli police are giving the daily killing of peaceful Eritreans a deaf ear, the continuous cry of Eritrean kids and mothers in Israel will not go unnoticed.
Awet N’Hafash and eternal Glory to our Martyrs.
By Abel Kebedom,
