Thousands protested at the Saudi Embassy in London

Prophet Muhammad told his followers to leave for Axum (ancient Ethiopia), where “a king rules without injustice, a land of truthfulness-until God leads us to a way out of our difficulty.” This happened at the early days of Islam, when the Quraysh intensified persecuting early converts of Islam in Mecca; this marked the first hijraah. Today Ethiopians who gave sanctuary to the followers of the Prophet Muhammad are being killed, raped, beaten, brutally abused and more than 25,000 are imprisoned in Saudi Arabia.

In protest to this brutality inflicted on innocent Ethiopians living and working in the Kingdom nearly 5 thousand Ethiopians living in the United Kingdom held a massive vigil outside the Embassy of Saudi Arabia on Curzon Street London W1. The huge turnout which has not been seen for years has stunned the police who were not prepared for it. Roads were closed in the vicinity and Police had a difficult job controlling the angry crowd, who shouted,

Saudi Arabia,  A kingdom from hell

Stop the violence, stop the murder, Stop the rape, Stop the brutality,

against innocent Ethiopians

Remember the first Hijira

Sons and daughters of Ethiopia

We cry for you!  We bleed for you! We mourn for you!!

Promise Promise, Your blood is not in vain!

Ethiopia Shall Rise

The protestors sang “Ethiopia Hagere” and “Atenesam Woy” to express their solidarity with their sisters and brothers who endured brutal violence and demanded that the Saudi government;

• To call off immediately all attacks against Ethiopians in particular and foreigners in general, and respect their human rights,
• To give more time and assistance to these desperate Ethiopians to regularize their stay, and failing that, to handle their voluntary repatriation in safety and dignity,
• To redress the victims for all physical and economic harm,
• To bring to justice those who are responsible for the numerous murders and bodily injuries.

This successful ever vigil ended at 18:00hrs after 6 hours,Report by; Zelealem97@gmail.com

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-24994854

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The Center for the Rights of Ethiopian Women (CREW) on Saudi Arabia

 The Center for the Rights of Ethiopian Women (CREW)
For Immediate Release
HUMANITARIAN CRISIS IN SAUDIA ARABIA

The Center for the Rights of Ethiopian Women (CREW) is disturbed and seriously concerned by reports, pictures and video footages about the violence perpetrated against Ethiopian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia.  Saudi authorities launched a crackdown on undocumented migrant workers following an amnesty which had expired. As a result of this crackdown, migrant workers, particularly Ethiopians, are facing beatings, abuse, torture, rape and death. They are thrown out on streets without shelter and food. Women are particularly abused and gang-raped in broad daylight.
Thousands of men and women from Ethiopia go to Saudi Arabia each year to seek work opportunities, but most of them have been subjected to inhuman and degrading treatment at the hands of their employers. They are treated like slaves. They don’t receive their salaries and their passports are confiscated.  In many instances, they are deprived of sleep and work long hours.  Many have sustained permanent injuries due to tortures such as beating by their employers. Some have taken their own lives when the situation became unbearable.
While the current new law, passed by Saudi government, should only result in deporting undocumented migrants, what has been witnessed in the last few days are gross human rights violations targeting Ethiopians.  CREW condemns the racist, inhuman treatment of Ethiopian migrant workers in Saudi Arabia. We call on the Saudi government to stop this barbaric act against Ethiopian Migrant workers immediately. Those who have committed these crimes should be held responsible for their acts.
We also appeal to the international community and all human rights organizations to take this matter seriously and urge the Saudi government to stop torturing Ethiopian migrant workers.  Ethiopian women are particularly in great danger of being abused and raped.  The Saudi government should be accountable for the suffering of Ethiopian migrant workers. Currently thousands of Ethiopian migrant workers, including women and children are in detention camps with no food, water or medical attention. The workers have indicated that they want to return to their country.  The Saudi government must send the workers safely to their country.