LAST WEEK’S violent clashes highlighted the issue of illegal immigration into Cyprus and indicated increasing tensions between a number Greek Cypriots and foreign workers.
The violence also followed the release of statistics indicating a third of island’s population was foreign, 68,900 legitimately from third countries and an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 illegally. (The rest of the foreign community in Cyprus comprised of legitimate EU citizens)
However, according to the Cyprus police’s latest figures, the number of third country nationals caught entering Cyprus via the occupied areas this year is set to be the lowest since 2007, and may even be exceeded by the number of repatriations.
The data shows that in the last three years the influx of illegal immigrants across the buffer zone fell from 5,736 in 2007 to 3,781 in 2009. Up until September this year, only 1,339 crossed the buffer zone from the occupied areas.
The data also shows that this is the primary method of entry – the corresponding number who entered by other means fell from seven in 2007 to two so far this year.
In the same period the number of repatriations rose from 2,892 in 2007 to 3,673 in 2009, with the total up to the end of October at 2,448.
Petros Zeniou, head of the Cyprus office of EU’s border security agency (FRONTEX) said that many of the migrants travel from Asian and African countries to Turkey, fly to the occupied north and are then smuggled across the buffer zone.
He said: “A big number of immigrants are facilitated to follow this route. They know in Asian and African countries that they can get asylum here… It’s a main pull factor.”
Many are genuine cases – according to the UNHCR’s latest figures, there were 5015 asylum seekers and 2,888 refugees in Cyprus in January.
However, Zenios said a significant number of ineligible immigrants seek asylum. He said: “At the end of the day they misuse asylum procedures, and this is not good for those who are genuinely applying.”
This seems to be one source of a lack of trust between nationalist groups and migrants. Another likely source is the perception that migrants are receiving welfare payments.
However, according to the Director of the National Focal Point for Racism and Xenophobia, Nicos Trimikliniotis, the number of foreign migrants claiming benefits was also overshadowed by the number of Cypriots on benefits.
He said: “Migrants are doing jobs Cypriots won’t do. As for benefits, about 1,700 receive welfare payments from a total of 25,000 (illegal migrants) in Cyprus.”
He said that “distorted” realities about illegal immigration in the media had given the racists a platform to spread hate speech.
When offered a platform to present his views, however the Nicosia branch of the Greek nationalist organisation that marched against the rainbow festival declined to comment yesterday – because he mistrusted the media.
According to one sociological expert at the University of Nicosia, David Officer, dispelling these myths is an important part of overcoming conflicts.
