Friday July 27, 2018
Abiy Ahmed with Shimeles the protester Source : Kassahun Yilma
Ethiopians in Washingon area have been waiting for the arrival of Abiy Ahmed to celebrate him and to express their support for the reform measure that his government is undertaking.
He and his entourage including his foreign minister Workeneh Gebeyehu and Lemma Megersa, arrived at Dallas International airport Washington DC, today and they had to attend a reception ceremony organized at the Ethiopian Embassy.
As they enter the embassy, a lone man was outside protesting waving Ethiopian flag outlawed by the Ethiopian government. Kassahun Yilma, who is Ethiopian Satellite Journalist, says that the person who was protesting today at the Ethiopian embassy, his name is Shimeles, has been protesting the Ethiopian government for a long time.
In September 2014, he dared to enter the Ethiopian embassy, lowered government flag and raised the Ethiopian flag that is popular among many Ethiopians – an incident that prompted embassy staff to draw a gun and fire.
But today he was not protesting against prime minister Abiy Ahmed. He was rather protesting, according to Kassahun Yilma, that Tamagne Beyene, a well-known activist who used to be a comedian, is left out from the reception event at the Ethiopian Embassy.
When the prime minister sees Mr. Shimeles protesting alone outside the Ethiopian Embassy, he refused to go in and approached the protesting lone man and told him that he will not go in while he is protesting.
The prime minister finally convinced Mr. Shimeles and they went into the reception event together. At the end of the event, the prime minister met him again and hugged him.