Bakwas
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Ethnic Conflict in Aquila The summer of 2001 was a particularly violent season for Aquila. Taking public transportation from the months of April till September that year was a risky business. Beatings on the trains and in the busses were increasingly common. What was disturbing about those first beatings were that they were linked to several political parties and groups. The first reported incident that is worthy of mention was a clash between supporters of the National Socialist Party (NSP) and a group of Ethiopian commuters in the neighborhood of Cardinal and 52nd Avenue. This area is generally known as “Cinema Town” because of the heavy concentration of cinemas on Cardinal Avenue intersecting 48, 50, and 52nd Avenues. The NSP is particularly active in Cinema Town, where its headquarters are located (at the intersection of
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Transcript of Bakwas
Ethnic Conflict in Aquila
The summer of 2001 was a particularly violent season for Aquila. Taking public transportation from the months of April till September that year was a risky business. Beatings on the trains and in the busses were increasingly common. What was disturbing about those first beatings were that theywere linked to several political parties and groups.The first reported incident that is worthy of mention was a clash between supporters of the National Socialist Party (NSP) and a group of Ethiopian commuters in the neighborhood of Cardinal and 52nd Avenue. This area is generally known as “Cinema Town” because of the heavy concentration of cinemas on Cardinal Avenue intersecting 48, 50, and 52nd Avenues. The NSP is particularly active in Cinema Town, where its headquarters are located (at the intersection of
48th Avenue and 129th Avenue.
Cinema Town has a heavy concentration of migrants and their families who hail from the Horn of Africa (Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia). Amharic is widely spoken. The Ethiopian community in Cinema Town numbers approximately fourteen thousand, and is one of the larger ethnic communities in Santa Maria.
Ethiopians, East Africans, etc., battle against the racist NSP, which seeks to take over Cinema Town.
The area known as “Cinema Town” is an integral part of a local division, whose elected council is dominated by far-right nationalist groups, including a single seat representing the NSP.
Although the NSP is officially banned from
competing in elections due to its overt racism, the candidate Todd Howe was successful by running as an independent. At his organized events, the NSP flag was prominently displayed.
