The Oromo Self-Help Association is hoping their peaceful protest through Saskatoon’s downtown core on Friday has raised more awareness about the problems facing the Ethiopian community.
In Ethiopia, members say the government is forcing farmers off their own land so it can be used by foreign investors. They say peaceful protests by students and farmers has been met with violence and death from military and police.
One of the organizers of the Saskatoon protest, Dilalesa Guta Dilalesa, says the land many farmers own has been passed down for generations, so farmers aren’t just losing their income, but their identity.
This is the second protest by the Self-Help Association. Members organized a protest in December in Saskatoon.
Dilalesa says they have received condolences from community members, along with messages of support and solidarity since then.
