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Photo – The Hailu-Getatchew fiasco in Minneapolis

Posted on , Updated on by Elias Kifle
The Hailu-Getatchew fiasco in Minneapolis
The Hailu Shawel comedy hour in Minneapolis

Jan 6. 2008, 10:30 PM EST
The Hailu Shawel public meeting in Minneapolis has ended in another public relations disaster. Ethiopian Review has been able to confirm from multiple sources that there were at most 35 people at the meeting. Out of those, four were Ethiopian Review sources. Ato Hailu, his relatives, chief of staff (Assefa Dires), chika shum (Taye), bankers (Moges Brook and wife from Los Angeles were there), bodyguards, butlers, and the meeting organizers add up to about ten. The rest were well known EPRP cadres in the Minneapolis area.

As soon as the “public meeting” started, members of the Hailu Shawel gang, Wzr. Nigist Gebrehiwot and Ato Bedru Adem, begun to shower insults on Wzt. Bertukan Mideksa and the other Kinijit officials. At one point, Ato Bedru called Wzt. Bertukan “mendertegna who came from nowhere.” Wzt. Nigist angrily stated that Bertukan Mideksa was not the only female political prisoner in Ethiopia!

The Hailu-Getatchew fiasco in Minneapolis
The Shawel gang: Bedru, Hailu and Nigist

Turning his face to the Diaspora, Ato Bedru accused Ethiopian Review and others of making false reports regarding alleged financial improprieties by Hailu Shawel and friends. He gave as an example that ER had reported that Kinijit North America under Shaleqa Yoseph Yazew had collected $700,000 up to $1.2 million. Ato Bedru said this is false and that only $680,000 were deposited by Shaleqa Yoseph. Ato Bedru did not talk about the tens of thousands of dollars that were collected in cash, but were never deposited in the bank account. Ato Bedru also said that he and his colleagues are preparing to file a defamation lawsuit against Ethiopian Review and others. Bring it on.

Dr Taye did not say much at the Minneapolis meeting. He did not look and sound happy. He was not even sitting at the stage with the other guests. He sat down among the audience. When his turn came to speak, his complaints included how Starbucks is harming Ethiopia. It just happens that Ato Hailu Shawel’s son who is residing in Minneapolis works at a Starbucks Coffee Shop. Taye may be onto something this time.

Finally, Ato Hailu Shawel got up to speak. He talked incoherently for several minutes, mostly about personal stuff. He said that he has sold his $650,000 house in a suburb of Minneapolis to his son — the one who works at Starbucks. He said Bertukan is allowed to call him “Gashe”, but not Debebe Eshetu… His speech included no serious national issue. Mostly he talked about himself — how brave and right he is.

The Hailu-Getatchew fiasco in Minneapolis
The Hailu Shawel comedy hour in Minneapolis

During the fund raising program of the event the organizers raised about $1,500 ($1,000 was pledged by Prof. Getatchew). Their cost for Ato Hailu’s bodyguards alone may exceed three times that amount.

We had promised to post photos as the meeting went on, but taking photos was prohibited. As the meeting was about to start, the organizers tried to confiscate a camera that belongs to one individual who was cooperating with ER. That had caused a brief disturbance. Police had to be called. We still managed to take some pictures. They will be posted shortly.

Overall, the meeting in Minneapolis was a disaster. It was worse than the one in Washington DC on Oct. 14. Next weekend, the Hailu Shawel gang will put themselves in another embarrassing situation in Atlanta. They are now becoming more of a joke than a threat to Kinijit. It is terribly sad that Hailu Shawel has turned out to be like this.

——————-

Jan 6. 2008, 9:00 PM EST
The Getatchew-Hailu meeting in Minneapolis continues. They are excitedly announced that there are 50 people inside the meeting hall, contrary to the report by Ethiopian Review over 4 hours ago. The meeting is being broadcast live via Ethiopian Review Radio Network.

——————-

Jan 6. 2008, 4:48 PM EST
Ethiopian Review sources are reporting that there are currently only 25 people attending a public meeting organized by Prof. Getatchew Hailu in Minneapolis. Most of those who are attending the meeting are relatives and personal friends of Prof. Getatchew and Ato Hailu. The meeting looks more like a Prof. Getatchew family reunion than a public meeting. We are trying to get some photos. More update later…

——————-

3:30 PM EST
The estranged chairman of Kinijit, Ato Hailu Shawel, sets himself up for another embarrassment by making an appearance at a public meeting organized by his friend Prof. Getatachew Haile in Minneapolis this afternoon (Sunday). ER Research Unit members will be inside the meeting hall to take photos and inform us how the meeting turns out. There will also be a live report by Ethiopian Review Radio Network. Click here to listen.

39 thoughts on “Photo – The Hailu-Getatchew fiasco in Minneapolis”

  2. Thank you for this up to the minute report. Please keep up the good job. By the way, Professor Getachew Haile and company are trying to rehabilitate the already tarnished image of Engineer Hailu. But, I think it is too late now. The ‘Ethiopian peoples train for democracy, freedom and unity’ had moved on and is unstoppable. And those who willingly left the train at one of the first few stations are left behind. There is no way they will be allowed to board the train again.

    Thanks.

    Merewa Lisanu

  3. Gobez!
    I sense that Woyane makes a drama against CUD. You can understand from Ato Hailu’s group that Woyane used Bedru Adem and Shaleka Admassie Melaku for the debacle of CUD.
    I deeply suspect Bedru Adem is the main actor for this mission ransomed/paid by Woyane as a spy since the time of Kaliti.(Eng. Hailu himself might not realized who is Bedru after Kaliti)
    Suspect!! Suspect!! I doubt Bedru Adem after Kaliti

  4. Dear All,

    When Engineer Hailu Shawel spoke at the National Press Club in Washington DC in 2005, he identified himself as an Ethiopian who has Oromo and Amhara heritage. Now we see him allying with notorious Amhara chauvinists like Professor Getachew Haile of Minnesota, Girma Bekele of San Jose, Engineer Mogus Biruk of Pasadena, California, Dr. Taye Woldesemayat (address unknown), etc. How can we trust this person who is now wining and dining with these diehard chauvinists, who believe ONLY THE AMHARAS have the DIVINE RIGHT to RULE ETHIOPIA and hence are bent on waging a war to achieve their goal. If these evil individuals are allowed to play an active role in OUR KINIJIT, which is a party of ‘DEMOCRACY, FREEDOM, AND UNITY’, not only KINIJIT will be destroyed, but our country will be taken back to the DARK days where WAR, DEATH, STARVATION, DISEASE will be the order of the day once again.

    Abebe Jarso

  7. Dear ER Objection
    There was a total of 50 objects at the meeting (25 Cripled EDU members and 25 Woden Chairs they are seating on ) O! I love to see EDU Members gathering kkkkkkkk

    Ayee Ethiopia Hagere -Eski Yehun

  8. This group directed itself to the discredited fringe of our political process. Therefore, they don’t threaten me any more. Hailu Shawel is killing his own credibility everyday by associating himself with known bigots like Dr Getachew, etc. We just need to sit back and watch him destroy himself. He is almsot done.

  9. የተከበራችሁ ኢትዮጰያውያን ወንድሞቼ

    ሕዝባዊ ግንባር ለኢትዮጵያውያን የጦር ምርኮኞች ሰብኣዊ ኣስተያየዘ ያደርግላቸው በነበረ ጊዜ፡ የጀብሃ እስላማውያን መሪዎች ጀብሃ በሕዝባዊ ግንባር ሓርነት ኤርትራ ተመትቶ ወዲ ሱዳን ሲሰሽ/1980-1981/ ቁጥራቸው ትልቅ የሆኑ የኢትዮጵያ / በደርግ ጊዜ/ የጦር ምርኮኞች በሂወታቸው እንደ ኣቃጠሉኣቸው ታውቃላችሁ ወይ?

    ይህንን በጣም ኣስቀያሚ የሆነ ኢ-ሰብኣዊ ግፍ የፈጸሙ ሰዎች ኣሁን በኣዲስ ኣበባ የኢትዮጰያ መንግስት እንግዶች ሆነዋል።

    በነዚህ ገበነኞች ህጋዊ እርምጃ መወሰድ ኣለበት።

  10. Thanks Elias for giving us this information

    i was waiting this moment to come. hailu and his group forgot the ethiopian people are smart. we know who stand for real Democracy.

    elias keep it up the good jop.

  12. Dear Editor,

    Thank you for your information. I listened the so called public meeting. Trully, I got ashamed of this Pro. getachew Haile. What a shameful old feudal he is!! Not only was his speech inconsistant but also was highly exaggerated. He happened to be just like an innocent loyal to a feudal lord. My God, Professorship failed! What a worthless old dog he is!!
    Bedru and Nigisti, I can guss, are simply bought by the millionar Hailu. Leave them. They are after fortunes!

    Anyways, I have come to conclude that Hailu shawel could no longer be a threat to the existance of Democratic KINIJIT as directed by the majority – Birtukan et al.

    I am sorry to say that that night I clearly understand that this Hailu has died a complete political death!
    May God help this distructive wolfish group!

  13. ufoyyyy
    i heard the hand claps then i thougt opsss …..
    specially one weak hand claps and then i immediately recognise that hand it was bedrus hand. that misformed hand.
    got nothing to say at all shame shame shame. elias when will i see the pic?

  16. If there is one person to be added in the list who downgraded Ethiopian political struggle, it is Getachew Haile, who should be remembered as just “One bad guy in Ethiopian politics!”

  17. What a disaster,ato Hailu sold his house to young shawel for $650,000 who is selling cappuccino at starbuck.now ato hailu is trying to sell us cappuccino with out a cap,a Puccino.Thank you Elias keep your eyes and ears open.Let almighty save us from a puccino disaster.

  19. I attended the meeting and their was lots of lies and critisism on Birtukan and Dr. Birhanu. For instance, on his address ato Bedru blamed Dr. Brihanu saying “Birihanu is the one who proposed and brodcast to the media not to eat and drink with the Tigreans” what a lie! I’m not sure where he got this and I tried to take a chance and ask him to referece this, but did not get a chance. Also another thing that I noticed is the moderater decided by himself to allow only a 15 sec question(I’m not kidding 15 sec), but for those who talked about the good leadership of Hailu shawel they got about 10 to 15 min. there were 2 people who tried to critisize and ask the Eng. why they are lying and they didn’t get a chance even to finish their questions. The Eng. seems like mostly focused on personal matter rather than the most burden issues that arises in the party. There were 47 people on the room and out of which 2 Police men and one Hotel employee.

  21. Elias with all these courage and vision God gave to you,I just can not comprehend as to why you consume so much time blasting ato Hailu shawel.You know who will be the winner if we fight between each other and not the common enemy?
    THE WEYANE.I have my diagreement with Hailu but I do not see him as an enemy.Elias you are condemed to death By the Weyane despotic leasder not by Hailu.Think about it.
    Elias May God give you a wisdom to differentiate beween your enemy and your friend.

  22. I dont know how this can be funny and cheerful. Isnt it sad ? That the persons we believed and trusted at the critical junction(and unprecdented)of our country path , and the persons whom we gave the leadership authority of the party with hope and better promise for the ethiopian people WERE NOT and ARE NOT upto the challenge . And question ourselve how we failed – how we didnt grilled them with qn. of basic core value and respect ? what realy was thier fundamental intenion ? why is there big understanding gap between the leadrship and the mass ? DID THE LEADRSHIP COMES OUT FROM THE PEOPLE OR DID THE LEADRSHIP BRINGS THE PEOPLE? What did we miss to see what is coming.SO this phenomenon shouldnt in any way make us joyfull.Instead we must question ourselves critcally -what? why? how? of leadership. Its our resposiblty to put the right leadrship in the first place , to critic them on every issue and straiten them up when they get out of the line. Its our responsiblty to take action immediately when the core values of the party is misused. WE HAVE TO CREATE MECHANISMS NOT TO REPEAT UNNECSSESARY MISTAKES AGAIN.NEVER AGAIN.

  23. I am really concerned about the mental status of Hailu Shawl. Under normal circumstance, one would have never behaved as him given the frustration of his leadership. Can you imagine, picture taking, voice recording, etc.. was not allowed. His friends and family should advise him to take the road of respect that is unifying the people, otherwise, he won’t have even somebody to burry him.

  24. In my opinion Hailu has damaged the CUDP more than anyone else so exposing and ridiculing his failing political strategy is a plausible duty. Not for merry making in his demise but to show his followers what is waiting for them. Reporting his letdowns give a chance for his duped fans either in Addis or in Diaspora to see what kind of leader they are following.

    Hailu’s next trip is going to be in my neighborhood. According to the ad circulated in metro Atlanta, his meeting shall be held on Jan 19 2008. I may walk to the conference room; of course not to attend but to witness the activities from the outside. If entrance is free I shall attend. Otherwise I do not; because I do not want to drop any more pennies into the wallets of bunches of craps and misfits.

  25. በመጀመሪያ መልካም ገና ለሁላችሁ!

    የ እነ አቶ ሀይሉን ስብሰባ እኔም ስከታተል ነበር:: በጣም ያሳዝን ነበር::

    ከሁሉም በላይ ያሳዘነኝ ነገር ቢኖር አቶ ሀይሉ ሻውል ንግግራቸውን ጀምረው እስከሚጨርሱ ድረስ አለመቀመጣቸው ነው:: ይህን ሲያደርጉ የህዝብን ድጋፍ በዚህ ዓይነት የሚያገኙ መስሏቸው ነው:: የፖለቲካ ችሎታቸውን ማነስ ምን ያህል አጉልቶ እንደሚያወጣው ግን የገመቱም አይመስለኝም:: አይ አለማወቅ!!

    ሌላው አሳዛኙ ነገር ምንም የሚረባ ሰው በዙሪያቸው አለመገኘቱ ነው:: አቶ ሀይሉ ወደ መድረክ ሲመጡ ልክ ለ መንግስቱ ኃይለማሪያም ይደረግ እንደነበረው በጭብጨባ ተቀበሏቸው:: ራሳቸው አቶ ኃይሉ ከሆኑት በላይ አምባገነን አስመሰሏቸው:: ደደብ ሁላ!!

    ማፈሪያዎች ናቸው::

  26. GUYS,let us leave these shameless monkeys. Hailu needed kinijit only to become ethiopia’s PM. Now he realises there is no possibility to sit in minilik’s palace. So LET HIM DANCE WITH HIS GARBAGE.Ethiopia doesn’t have any single place for mentality and physically disable people. the time is for work , but not for allubaleta and tereteret. Nigist ye birtukanen egere atabinete enkuan meketer atechilem. Ignorants should know there size.Nigist jojned ethiopia’s human right’s organization for the simple reason she wanted to get financial support from EHRO. NIgist has no idea baout politics, she is simply ye mender sete and allubaletegna

  27. I agree with Afe-Gubae. We need to expose and ridicule his majesty’s failings and bravado in the hope of salvaging some misguided and confused souls from his camp. Hailu Shaul’s so called supporters fall into three categories:

    1. EPRP diehards and borderline Woyanies, who are green with envy at kinijit’s success and will do anything to destroy it (example: Dr. Taye, Iyasu Alemayehu, Benny @ Diaspora Rm.)

    2. ‘Yesiltan-TesfeGnoch’, these are mainly ex-Dergists and the remnants of feudal leftover from bygone era, who would love to turn the clock back on Ethiopians to let the good old days roll once again (example: Prof. Getachew, ShaleQa Yoseph, Merchaw, ShaleQa Admassu)

    3. Political light weights, dimwitted chauvinists and others coerced into this camp by blood/marriage considerations (example: Solomon Bekele, Mesfin Mekonnen, Anteneh Hailu Shaul)

    There is no hope for groups 1 & 2, but there is still hope for group 3 and we should do our best to bring those into the loving bosom of democracy. Most of them are on the edge and all they need is an encouraging shove towards the democratic camp.

    It looks to me; Hailu Shaul’s next victims are going to be Ethiopians living in and around the Seattle area. He has threatened a town hall type FIASCO next Sunday. I was talking to a friend in the Emerald city and what he said was: ‘WE ARE NOT HOME TO FEUDALS OR FEUDALISM!’ He told me that it is time to straighten the record and when I asked what he meant by that; he said that when the five delegates were in Seattle, they never mentioned Hailu Shaul or the problems they were having with him. Yes, they said there are some minor problems that will be solved through dialogue and according to the Kinijit bylaws when they get back to Addis. They never responded to the insults that was being hurled at them by Bedru, Nigist or Hailu himself by availing himself to the media of his choice and hiding from most mainstream media.

    Seattleites are determined to set the record straight by inviting Debebe Eshetu and another Kinijit official (former AEUP executive member) for a town hall meeting on Saturday, just a day before Hailu’s, to let people know the source of the Kinijit’s leadership crisis is Hailu Shaul and no one else. The hope is, the straight talking Debebe and the former AEUP member, who has seen the current machinations of the AEUP from within, will be too persuasive for anyone to ignore, thus nullifying whatever damage the terrible-trio might cause.

  28. Thankyou Elias for posting this photo , people know how that is will end up A family party ( eder ), shame for Bedru to call our hero Birtukan , like that . but that is what he suppose to do for Wyane .

  29. What rages me is the insult. Whatever his agenda is how come one can insult another individual in public? where is our maturity? what is wrong with the Ethiopians? when do we stop personal attack and focus on how to solve our differences with discussion?

  30. Mr. Nardos, am I hearing you correctly?

    When you say: “…I am better than you guys;” you are referring your self to one of the Pharisees who said “…I am not like the other men….” (Luke 18:11). Of course, Jesus rejected his prayer because he was sanctimonious, declaring self-righteousness.

    In your statement to the apostolic succession, you said: “The Ethiopian orthodox church traces its succession to St. Peter through St. Mark….” You are wrong! The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church claims its apostolic line directly to St. Mark of Alexandria, not to St. Peter of Rome. You think that Peter is the highest apostle in all the other apostles. It is not true because among the apostles, one is not superior to the others. All are equal, and their duties were to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world. The Roman Catholic Church claims its apostolic succession to St. Peter not through any other apostle. Both the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church and the Roman Catholic Church are two doctrinally different churches. The Roman Catholic Church believes that Christ has two natures, while the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church believes that Christ has one nature. Once again, Peter is not greater than the other apostles as you assume he is. Yes, you may be better than all of us as you said, but Peter was not better than the other apostle. In fact, it was St. Paul who worked harder than the rest of the other apostles, but he never claimed that he was supper than the others. Yes, we remember that once St. Paul rebuked Peter when Peter was leading others astray. (Galatians 2:11-14)

    By the way, I have a question to ask you: Who do you think is greater, His Holiness Patriarch Paulos or His Holiness Patriarch Merkorios, than the previous Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church Patriarchs? You believe Peter is greater than the other apostles. So you can easily answer this question the same way.

  31. Do these people (Hailu’s and Co.) understand how many people have died for the sake of kinigit and thought that they have died for future of ethiopia. I can’t not imagin, these people that we trusted them to be our leader and turned around talking that they appear in “Tejbet” on weekdays afternoon because the crowed seems to small to be in the weekend. Please have a life, leave the poor ethiopian people alone. You don’t have the moral and leadership character to lead your own family let alone to lead a nation like ethiopia.
    Thank you.

  32. Give me a break! Hailu and all his colleagues around him behave exactly as mentally retarded guys cared in Nursery. May I say they are groups of mentally-disorded seniors disappeared from the Emanuel Hospital and hide in Mennoseta? In question and answer session, the moderator gave “15 seconds” for those who wanted to raise question, and I heard when he said “1…2…3… go”. Ohhhhhhhhhhhhh my Lord! I have never heard such kind of jokes from the Emanuel Hospital so far! Is there someone who heard such kind, please forward me?

    Thanks Eliase!

  33. How shameful it is when a person spends almost half of his/her entire life in school and still learns nothing…not even how to lie systematically(like meles)? why do these fools embarrace themselves by insulting bertukan who is way brighter, wiser and adorable but young enough to be their daughter. why should you fools blame her for excelling in modern party leadership. what does it matter that you have only been arround “polics” for ages to us? what have you done apart from ensuring familial prosperity? nothing you fools… tell you what bertukan has become most effective women leader in few years while yours wives do not know anything except making “hamet wet” you fools can not even see the fact that the amhara people are in no position to support any divisive political ideology..they would be the 1st ones that you would have to face should you have had the courage to keep up your aged feudalistic ideology..i call you all who are sticking your neck out to be comparable with bertukan children of age 60s 0r 70s and i call bertukan “old woman of age 34.”

  34. What surprise me is not abot insulting their former party
    members, it is more of what do they think about those innosent civilians murderd by EPDRF.Let’s think for the future of our country.

  35. Woooooowy…shame on them. It is like the….”keguad mengistu hailemariam abyotawi amerar gar wodefit”…It is really sad to see political scientists behind this. Back to square one. When do we learn from our failure. We don\t play a one person politics any more guys, whoever he/she is.

  36. The slogan posted above these estranged Kinijit memebrs is just amazingly dumb!!! They doin’t like to say Kinijit, they want to say Ato Hailu…they should stop worshiping useless elderly people like Hailu Shawel and stand for principles!!

  37. GOOD JOB ELIAS,
    The slogan behind the chairman take me to the derg days, KE GUAD MENGISTU HILEMARIAM KORAT AMERAR GAR WEDFIT!!!
    Elias would you please post Mengistu’s and Hailu’s Slogan side by side so we can find and pick 10 differences which would be fun ….LOL.

  38. Elias,
    I think this guy, the old stoog, the racist, the chauvinist, the professor, is a disgrace to our political maturity. Anyone listening to this guy is listening to the preaching conducted in the ages of the reptiles.
    Let’s move on, pleeeeease!
    Johnny

  39. I am honored to see the king, if not himself personally, at least his picture!

    I have never met Hailu Shawel before and have no clue what he looks like until I saw his picture taken by an outstanding ER photographer; the caption under this vivid photograph reads: The Hailu Shawel gang: Bedru, Hailu and Nigist. To me the three pictures tell a story of their own, and among these three pictures, Nigist looks subservient while Bedru seems watching himself and his master from an unknown danger. Out of the three pictures, however, Hailu Shawl’s picture has captured my attention, and as soon as I saw his picture, I realized what many people have said about the man himself is absolutely true.

    I can see now that Hailu Shawel has a face that looks like the face of that famous German-born guy – Adolf Hitler; what does this tell us? Most of us know who Hitler was, and what he did to humanity. We also know what Hailu Shawel has done to us the Kinijit members. We may not be able to describe fully all the atrocities Adolf Hitler committed against the people of this world because they were too many; however, we can easily narrate Hailu Shadwell’s ill-advised, abnormal, and weird conducts among many other things, for most of them happened in our times and in our own eyes. Some of his aberrations are:

    1. Betraying of his old friends
    2. Exhibiting dictatorial type of governance
    3. Possessing narcissistic behavior
    4. Accepting homage from other people like Nigist as the picture clearly shows
    5. Inveighing against Kinijit’s coming to North America
    6. Believing strongly in a pecking order
    7. Mismanaging Kinijit’s money
    8. Intimidating his subordinates
    9. Misguiding Kinijit’s Supreme Councils
    10. Doing every day what his venal heart tells him to do

    Having all these human characteristics, Hailu Shawel is nothing but prima donna.

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