Lopez cancels Kyrenia gig

JENNIFER Lopez has cancelled her scheduled performance at the luxury casino-hotel complex in Kyrenia.

The American singer and actress announced her withdrawal from the proposed inauguration of the hotel which had triggered angry protests from Greeks and Greek Cypriots worldwide.

“Jennifer Lopez would never knowingly support any state, country, institution or regime that was associated with any form of human rights abuse,” a statement on Lopez’s website said. “After a full review of the relevant circumstances in Cyprus, it was the decision of her advisors to withdraw from the appearance. This was a team decision that reflects our sensitivity to the political realities of the region.”

It remains unclear what directly prompted the move, but it comes after days of intense pressure from international online campaigners. A 20,000 strong Facebook petition encouraged members to write to Lopez’s management calling for the cancellation of her visit, and received support from the Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA).

CANA is dedicated to raising awareness of the Cyprus problem in the US, and published a letter to Lopez expressing “dismay and shock” at her plans to perform in the “occupied part of our native country”.

Lopez, accompanied by her husband singer Marc Anthony and their two children, was due to sing at the opening of the Turkish owned Cratos Premium Hotel and Casino on July 24 in a deal reportedly worth $3 million (€2.4 million). The event was intended to coincide with the singer’s 41st birthday.

Her decision to cancel has been well received in Greek Cypriot circles. Sophia Cotzia of the International Coordinating Committee Justice for Cyprus (ICCJC) issued a statement praising Lopez and her team for their “sensitivity and innate sense of what is right and just”. ICCJC also thanked “the champions and supporters of Cyprus [and] of human rights” for their efforts in influencing Lopez’s decision.

Administrators of the €174 million hotel complex insisted yesterday however that they do still expect the gala performance to go ahead. “We have a contract; she will certainly give the concert,” officials were quoted as saying on www.worldbulletin.net

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.