THE EXPLOSION of violence between Pontian Greeks and police in Paphos this week is a disturbing symptom of the problems the community has faced in integrating into Cypriot society over recent years.
Cyprus has never really had an immigration problem of the type alas only too common in Western societies. The huge foreign labour force is a rotating phenomenon involving mainly single young workers who come and go, and while it has raised issues of racism, it has never faced the challenge of integration.
The Pontian Greek community, however, is one that does face the traditional problems of co-existence within the existing society. The government has allowed ethnic Greeks from the former Soviet Union to settle in Cyprus, and families, indeed whole communities, have done so, becoming part of the fabric of society, working on the island and sending their children to local schools.
The issue of integration has never properly been addressed and the problems are, inevitably, now beginning to come to the surface. There is a clear issue of ghettoisation – especially in Paphos – and there is an issue of criminality within the community. The police clearly have a duty to deal with that issue, especially in regard to the spiralling heroin trade. But questions have to be raised on whether their approach is having the desired effects.
Tuesday night’s riot was sparked by allegations of police mistreatment of two Pontian suspects, coming on the back of regular complaints of police racism against Pontians. These are serious issues that must be eradicated if any progress is to be made in terms of integrating the community as a whole.
On Wednesday, the deputy chief of police launched a tirade against Pontians that was verging on the openly racist. “They should know that they are guests and that we tolerate them,” he said, adding: “Their nationality and their passports are questionable.”
One would assume that if they have been granted residency in Cyprus that last statement is as false as it is gratuitously offensive. Otherwise, the immigration department needs to answer some questions. As to the comment that the Pontians are “tolerated guests”, this suggests they could be kicked out whenever we stop tolerating them. The deputy chief may deny the Pontians are being treated as second-class citizens, but that is exactly what such a statement implies.
This kind of attitude is feeding a volcano of resentment. Whatever the wisdom of allowing the widespread immigration of ethnic Greeks, once here they must be treated without prejudice. If there are criminals within their community, the police has a duty to track them down, but it also has a duty to treat them just as it would treat any Cypriot criminal, without the racist overtones that have clearly caused so much resentment among the Pontians of Paphos.
