Farmers clash with police as crisis bites in north
Turkish Cypriot farmers clashed with police on Friday during a third day of public protest triggered by the falling Turkish Lira that has lost 40% of its value from the start of the year and created economic distress causing unrest in the north.
Stockbreeders continued where they had left off with their demonstration on Thursday, blocking roads leading to the agriculture office in north Nicosia.
Tensions rose between demonstrators and police when farmers marched towards the Ledra Palace crossing point wanting to cross over to the south. Police used pepper spray to keep the demonstrators back.
According to Turkish Cypriot press reports, stockbreeders were angry that their demand to freeze the price of barley used in cattle food and milk was not met and decided to march to the south in protest.
After a meeting they had with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, angry stockbreeders decided to cross to the south in a show of discontent towards Turkish Cypriot authorities.
Reportedly, the demonstrators marched towards the Ledra Palace checkpoint ringing cowbells and chanting slogans such as: “We want to be paid in euros, we are going to the south”.
Protestors were cut off a few meters from the Nicosia checkpoint by police who used tear gas in order to push back animal breeders who had tried to break the blockade. Reportedly two journalists were taken to hospital after being affected by the gas thrown by police.
Unperturbed, demonstrators then tried to march on Akinci’s office but were once more stopped by Turkish Cypriot police. Stockbreeders then decided to march back to the agricultural affairs office where they were met by police who again made use of tear gas, this time injuring a protestor and his daughter.
Apparently, stockbreeders are not willing to back down but will, however, suspend their demonstrations over the weekend to give time to the ruling coalition to “reconsider its position”. Head of the Turkish Cypriot Stockbreeders’ Union Mustafa Naimoglulari said his members have parked their tractors near the agriculture office and will not move them until the issue is resolved.
Stockbreeders are angry over the increase in the price of barley which is continuously rising as a result of the falling Turkish Lira.
Talks with the head of Turkish Cypriot agricultural affairs Erkut Sahali and public finances chief Serdar Denktash had fallen through after a three-hour meeting on Wednesday night and a six-hour meeting on Thursday.
Sahali said that the authorities in the north have up until now absorbed all increases in the price of barley which amount to TRY 40 mln (EUR 5.7 mln) but cannot continue do so any longer.
“I understand the pressure you are under with the falling Turkish Lira, as I know that all your expenses are indexed to the dollar and your earnings are in TRY. However, if I knew that my resignation would lead to a drop in the value of the dollar, I would have handed it in yesterday,” Sahali told the breeders.
Animal
breeders
are
demanding
the authorities fix the price of barley at TRY 1.10 (EUR 0.15) per kilo, while the ruling coalition is proposing to fix it at TRY 1.15 (EUR 0.21) per kilo, with a 0.10 lira monthly increase until the end of the year.
Meanwhile, the Union Platform (Sendikal Platform) organised a demonstration to demand the restart of negotiations for the solution of the Cyprus Problem connecting the matter to the economic crisis which has hit the north after the collapse of the Turkish Lira.
Economic crisis
Some 500 people attended the demo shouting slogans such as: “Respect the political will of Turkish Cypriots, No to measures imposed by Turkey” and “We want independence, not dependence”.
The platform sees a direct link between the economic crisis hitting the north with the collapse of the Turkish Lira and the ongoing division of the island.
It dubbed Thursday’s demo as a “rally in defence of the community”.
Sener Elcil, head of primary education teachers (KTOS), said the platform has submitted to Akinci a package of 90 proposed measures to deal with the economic crisis.
He added, however: “Any measures to be taken will only be temporary, the real issue is the continuation of the Cyprus problem. [This] is of the utmost importance and must be resolved as soon as possible”.
While the north is in turmoil over the rise in the cost of living caused by the tumbling Turkish Lira, Greek Cypriots are crossing over to fill up their cars with cheap fuel by taking advantage of the negative fluctuations of the Lira.
Petrol prices in the north had dropped to less than half of the price in the south of the island at the beginning of August when the Lira had been priced against the EUR at 8 to 1.
Meanwhile, the Health Ministry of the Republic has issued a warning to Cypriots going north not to buy medication which is cheaper, some at half price, others at a quarter.
The ministry has essentially asked people to sign a disclaimer form, without indicating where this form could actually be found, stating that they are buying medication from “areas not controlled by the Republic at their own risk”.