#EndSARS: Nigerians in Austria back protests; condemn arson, attack on embassy in Vienna

THE National Association of Nigerian Community in Austria (NANCA) and all the leaders of Ethnic Nationals, including NIDOE, have thrown their weights behind the peaceful #EndSARS protests across the country, demanding for an end to police brutality.

NANCA in a statement signed by its president, Tajudeen Bello condemned the shooting at the Lekki toll gate in Lagos and the subsequent violence and arson that followed.

“The National Association of Nigerian Community in Austria and all the leaders of Ethnic Nationals, including NIDOE, wish to express our profound support to our youths in their protest against police brutality tagged #EndSARSNow,” the statement reads.

Explaining that SARS as a unit of the Nigerian Police Force had always been “notorious for its brutality” against Nigerians, NANCA says, “We are also concerned about the shooting event that occurred at the Lekki Toll Gate, the nucleus location of the EndSARS protest,”

The statement continued, “We pray for a quick recovery for those who were injured as well as killed, during the sad interruption by the military and police forces, in their endeavour to disperse the demonstration. We hope for calmness, and peaceful protest by our sons and daughters, whom we believe are fighting for a just course against police brutality, unemployment, unaffordable education system and above all abject poverty.

“While we are in solidarity with the demands of our youth, we also condemn the attempt and act of violence by hoodlums to hijack the peaceful protest and its diversion towards several ulterior motives by unleashing wanton destruction on lives and properties of our fellow countrymen, public infrastructure, rioting, raping, terrorizing the masses, causing panic and mayhem in the country”.

The group also distanced itself from the attack on the Nigeria Embassy Vienna, Austria, “where a peaceful protest metamorphosed into an unprecedented violent attack on some staff of the Nigerian Embassy in Vienna that took the initiative  – in the absence of the Head of Mission, who was on official duty travel – to address the protest and receive the communique signed by the protesters and addressed to the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.

NANCA added, “We cannot fold our arms and watch some of our fellow countrymen destroy our pleasant and peaceful way of living here in Austria. We are known for being law-abiding, and such violent action sets terrible precedence to our host country Austria as we are not known for such unguided action. It is disconcerting to see how individuals organized protests clandestinely without involving the bonafide community leaders, who could have guided them in the planning, logistics and implementation of a peaceful protest. We noticed a deletant approach in the planning and execution of this particular protest action to the extent that the COVID-19 protection acts of our host country were also not considered”.

The group, however, assured that its cooperation with the Nigeria Embassy in Austria is “one of its kind compared to other locations in Europe.”