Police to examine footage of embassy clashes

POLICE have been told to examine TV footage of Thursday night’s violent clashes outside the Israeli ambassador’s residence in Nicosia to determine whether criminal offences took place, the Attorney-general said yesterday.

Alecos Markides said he gave instructions to investigators to gather all pertinent material, especially footage of the trouble between protesters and police during the demonstration.

Four people were arrested during the protest that disrupted the Israeli ambassador’s reception marking Israel’s 54th anniversary.

The organisers of the demo, which was attended by some House of Representatives deputies, accused the police of using brute force against a crowd that was demonstrating peacefully. Police said the demonstrators were preventing guests from reaching the reception.

One of the four men arrested allegedly assaulted Nicosia Police Chief Nicos Theodorides, who had to be taken to hospital for treatment.

Markides said he would assess the footage before taking any action. He stressed, however, that the attack on Theodorides certainly constituted a criminal offence.

The Attorney-general revealed that during the trouble on Thursday he had received a phone call from Green party deputy George Perdikis, who had asked him to mediate with police so those arrested would be released.

Markides said that he had spoken with the police and from the information he had been given he determined that the arrests had been lawful.

Perdikis and AKEL deputy Eleni Mavrou on Thursday tried to wrest two of the suspects from the hands of the police.

In doing so Perdikis was involved in considerable pushing and shoving with officers, while engaging in a bitter verbal exchange.

Yesterday Markides stressed that all citizens had the right to express their opinions freely, but that no one had the right to prevent their access anywhere.

He said that at the same time citizens have the right to demonstrate peacefully, but the police are obliged to ensure the constitutional rights of everyone.