Ethiopians in Washington DC confronted Beyene Petros today as he tried to hold a segregated meeting for people from southern Ethiopia. Only ten people attended the apartheid-style meeting he organized in collaboration with the Ethiopian embassy. But close to 100 Ethiopians had gathered outside the meeting hall to express their anger and frustration at Dr Beyene for collaborating with brutal dictatorship in Ethiopia, and advancing its ethnic segregationist policy. Some of the protestors who wanted to go inside the meeting hall at the Unification Church were denied entrance. The embassy staff were also seen video taping the protestors.

After the Meles regime stole the May 2005 elections, Dr Beyene joined the parliament over the objection of the executive committee of his own party, the United Ethiopian Democratic Forces (UEDF). UEDF suspended him from his chairmanship. But Dr Beyene continues to claim that he is still the chairman of UEDF.

The Meles regime this month sent a delegation to conduct segregated meetings in North America. Last week and this weekend, Deputy Prime Minister Addisu Legesse held public meetings for people from the Amhara ethnic group in Seattle, San Jose, Boston and other major cities. An average of 20 or less people participated in the meetings, while hundreds showed up to protest.

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