Tatar condemns ‘violent protest’
PRIME Minister Ersin Tatar condemned a “violent protest” by far-right Greek Cypriot members of the National Popular Front (Elam) against the TRNC’s decision to reopen part of Maraş, which took place at the Derinya checkpoint on Sunday.
A fire broke out in the UN buffer zone after around 100 Greek flag-waving protesters barged their way through barricades on the southern side of the Derinya checkpoint and set off fireworks.
They chanted slogans such as “Cyprus is Greek” and “Turks, Mongols, murderers”, according to Greek Cypriot press reports.
Video footage online appeared to show some individuals wearing hooded tops and wielding baseball bats. The gang stopped short of attempting to cross into the TRNC.
The fire was brought under control, the North Cyprus police said in a statement, adding that the “necessary precautions” had been taken on the Turkish Cypriot side of the border.
Reacting to the incident, Mr Tatar said: “We have opened Maraş for the benefit of humanity, no one can ignore that.
“Wise parts on the Greek Cypriot side should have prevented such old-fashioned actions. We want peace to prevail in the island, and an agreement based on facts which lead to friendship between the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.
“However, our struggle alone is not enough to prevent this, similar actions from the Greek Cypriot side are essential.”
Stating that such actions “only cause tension and distancing between both sides rather than peace”, Mr Tatar continued: “Previous [property] owners can apply to the Immovable Property Commission. If [ their claims] are just, the property will be returned to them or compensation or exchange will be offered.
“This is what the European Court of Human Rights expects from us. In this situation, the Greek Cypriots’ actions are unacceptable.”
Derinya was the flashpoint for the most serious violence in Cyprus since 1974 when, in August 1996, Turkish Cypriot forces shot dead a Greek Cypriot man while he was attempting to climb a flagpole, just days after another Greek Cypriot had been killed in border clashes.
A Turkish Cypriot conscript was shot dead and another injured in a revenge attack a month later.
Mr Tatar also condemned Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anasatasiades for saying that he “understands” why the Elam members had acted as they did.
“I condemn them and Anastasiades for ‘understanding’ them. We will continue to open Maraş step by step according to our roadmap. Maraş will no longer be a ghost town.
“There are around 300 applications pending at the Immovable Property Commission regarding Maraş. They will be considered at the right time. That is the right way to do things, noone can achieve anything by acting violently.”
Far-right Greek Cypriots also held a protest in South Nicosia at the Lokmacı checkpoint, with police on both sides of the border taking security measures.
They waved Greek flags and chanted slogans before dispersing.