Many hurt at Eritrean event in Germany, including cops

Protesters surrounded by police officers after the attack. Pic/AP

German police said dozens of people, including at least 26 officers, were injured during unrest surrounding an Eritrean cultural festival in the southwestern city of Stuttgart.

Shortly before the event was set to begin on Saturday afternoon, around 200 protesters gathered in the area outside and began throwing stones, bottles, and other items at police officers and participants of the event. Six of the 26 injured police officers were treated in a hospital for their injuries, police said. Four event participants and two protesters were also injured, according to police, although information wasn't immediately available about the severity of their injuries.

Saturday's protests were the latest in a string of unrest surrounding Eritrean cultural events in Germany and elsewhere. In July, a clash at an Eritrean festival in the western German city of Giessen left 22 police officers injured. A fight between Eritrean government supporters and opponents in Tel Aviv in early September led to one of the most violent street confrontations among African asylum seekers and migrants in the city's recent memory.

The event on Saturday was organised by several groups considered close to the government of Eritrean President Isaias Afwerki.

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