FIVE demonstrators were arrested last night during a vociferous protest outside the Israeli ambassador’s home in Nicosia where a reception was held to mark Israel’s 54th anniversary.
The reception initially was going to be held at the Hilton hotel but the venue had been changed because of security fears culminating from the situation in the Middle East and widespread protests against Israel.
The area surrounding the ambassador’s home in Makedonitissa was swarmed with police while the three roads leading there were blocked with barbed wire.
Officers in plain clothes along with the embassy’s security staff patrolled the area, while members of the antiterrorist squad, armed to the teeth, took positions around the house.
The approximately 300 demonstrators, led by Green Party deputy George Perdikis and AKEL deputy Eleni Mavrou, had assembled at the Forum hotel nearby and marched to the area chanting slogans against the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon and the US president George W. Bush.
The protesters arrived on the scene at around 7.30pm and moved quickly to block the three roads, cutting all access towards the Israeli ambassador’s residence.
Police in riot gear moved to the blocks and stood guard facing the demonstrators who were mostly Cypriots, Kurds, and Palestinians.
The protesters shouted among others: “Bush-Sharon — peoples’ murderers”, “no partying with murderers”, “Sharon same as Hitler”, and “close the killers’ embassy”.
The demonstrators achieved their goal of disrupting the reception — only around 50 guests, including 20 diplomats, from a list of 150 managed to get through.
Government and House officials chose to stay away from the function although according to reports, the reception was attended by the Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary Michalis Passiardis.
The situation got tense with police trying to make way for guests who were harassed by the demonstrators.
One man attacked Nicosia Police Director Nicos Theodorides who was reportedly rushed to Nicosia hospital for treatment.
The man’s arrest signalled the beginning of a tense standoff between the authorities and the protestors who were now joined by DIKO deputy Marios Matsakis.
At around 8.45pm, and under pressure from the Israeli ambassador who wanted to know why his guests were not arriving, a police officer was heard asking for instructions from his superiors on the radio.
The officer was heard saying that he could not intervene to disperse the demonstrators because of the presence of the deputies. He requested orders from above.
Several minutes later police clashed with the protestors leading in a second arrest and Perdikis’ intervention to wrestle the arrestee from the hands of the police.
A lot of pushing, shoving and shouting between the deputy and police followed with the deputy demanding to be allowed to approach the embassy.
Officers held Peridikis back saying that they had orders not to let him through.
The shouting match continued for a while until three other demonstrators were arrested.
AKEL deputy Eleni Mavrou disputed one of the arrests and demanded that the police released the man immediately.
Police refused and a new shouting match ensued with accusations hurled from all sides.
The arrested men were led to a guard post next to the ambassador’s home were officers kept a close watch over them. One of them had suffered a broken nose while blood was seen on the head of a second one.
All the demonstrators now moved to one of the blocks and demanded the release of those arrested.
The move gave the chance to guests to enter the embassy albeit very late.
Later last night an embassy spokesman expressed his dissatisfaction for the trouble.
The demonstrators dispersed at around 10.30pm, around half an hour before the end of the reception.
The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.
