Today’s event at Columbia University was a huge disaster for Woyanne. In having Meles Zenawi invited to the University to give keynote address on African leadership, his supporters intended to revive his image that has been soiled with the blood of innocent Ethiopians and fraudulent elections. Instead, the Columbia invitation helped expose not only Meles, but also his backers, including a couple of American professors who like to kiss up to third world dictators.
(Left: Meles supporters holding Woyanne flag at Columbia)
As Ethiopians prepared to march to Columbia, the Woyanne-occupied Ethiopian mission in New York had worked full time to get as many supporters of Meles Zenawi as they could. They even had Solomon Tekalign flown all the way from Atlanta. Their effort did not bear fruit. In fact, it compounded the problem since no more than a couple of hodams participated in the pro-Meles demonstration, exposing his narrow support base. There were about 50 demonstrators, and 48 of them were Tigreans. It is reported that some of them were security guards who flew with Meles from Addis Ababa.
The fact that 99 percent of the pro-Meles demonstrators today were Tigreans doesn’t mean that all Tigreans support Woyanne. There might be more than 50 Tigreans who joined us at the anti-Woyanne demonstration, and some of the protest organizers themselves are Tigreans. What it shows is that Meles has no real support outside of the Tigrean ethnic group. Even among Tigreans, his support seems to be narrow. And hodams are not willing to show their face at a pro-Woyanne event after the August 3 Woyanne-sponsored demonstration fearing that their photos will be plastered all over the Internet again (see here).
To make up for their lack of number, the pro-Meles demonstrators brought a bunch of drums and were singing Tigrigna songs until they were drowned out by the over 700 pro-democracy protesters on the other side of the street.
The photo on the left shows Dr Awash Teklehaimanot (red tie) trying to relax near the Columbia campus after what turned out to be a disastrous day for them. Awash is thought to be the person who has worked behind the scene to have Columbia invite Meles. (More about Awash here)
Earlier, a Woyanne who was taunting and showing his middle finger to the protesters as he passed by in his car left with some water bottler marks.
A large number of Ogadenis joined their fellow Ethiopians at the demonstration. Ogaden is one of Ethiopia’s regions where the Meles regime has been committing genocide.
Some Eritreans carrying Eritrean flags also joined the protesters in a show of solidarity. They were cheerfully greeted.
What we have seen today is an encouraging development in the fight to save Ethiopia from the Woyanne cancer. Unity in action is producing result.