THE CIVIL disorders in Limassol this week, involving Greek and Turkish Cypriots and Gypsies from the occupied north, had nothing to do with the nationality or ethnicity of those involved, Government Spokesman Michalis Papapetrou said yesterday.
Wednesday’s incident – about which Cyprus Police still refuse to comment, claiming political instructions not to – involved "two guys being drunk, guys with whom the police have dealings quite often," Papapetrou said. "They were Greek Cypriots."
"(They) visited the sister of the one, a Greek Cypriot who is married to a Turkish Cypriot, and… one was demanding from his sister’s husband a motorcycle which he claimed was his," he said.
When the uncle tried to take the motorcycle, "his two nephews reacted. He beat them, and then some Turkish Cypriot neighbours rushed to help" and the fracas ensued," Papapetrou said.
"The police went there, and these two Greek Cypriots were formally charged for this incident and they’ll be taken to court," he said.
As for Thursday’s incident involving Gypsies recently arrived from Turkish occupied northern Cyprus and Greek Cypriots in refugee housing, Papapetrou again conceded: "Yes, it happened, (but) the incidents had, in reality, nothing to do with their origin (as Gypsies), but to family differences."
The gypsies came as part of a recent influx, which has seen almost 200 Turkish Cypriots cross the Green Line in the last six months.
Papapetrou said yesterday that, "on Thursday, some neighbours were reacting to some Gypsies put next to them, claiming they were dirty and going around urinating in the streets."
But Diko deputy Marios Matsakis said that after visiting the area he had a totally different picture of Thursday’s incident.
First of all, he said, "it was not a very clever thing to put them (the Gypsies) among Cypriot refugees straightaway. I think they should have been put in reception areas first, to deal with them and try to resolve their problems. They have all sorts of problems," said Matsakis, himself a doctor.
"They’re gypsies… but they are Cypriot citizens. Whatever they are, they are human beings, they are in Cyprus, and they are Cypriots," he said, deploring the housing conditions he said they were forced to live in.
"They were not given any proper amenities. For example, they were put in these – they are not houses, they’re sort of walls with half a roof on top, without water, without toilets. How can they live?" he asked.
"Of course they will cause disturbances, because they have no toilets. So they’re going to use whatever they can find. They have no water, so they will try and get water from their neighbours," Matsakis said.
Papapetrou acknowledged "there were some incidents where they (the Gypsies) were urinating in the doorways of the neighbours there, (but) not because they are not rich (or lacked toilets), but because some people say they wanted to create trouble," he said.
But he emphatically denied the Gypsies were shoved into slums without the barest of hygienic amenities. "No, this is not the case. The places they were put were proper places, and they had these sort of facilities," he said.
"In order to be specific about what Matsakis is saying," he said. "I have to know which area he is talking about, which house."
"They were put in some places. It’s not one place. So I need to be specific," he said, but insisted: "I’m not aware of any of these houses not having toilets and water."
