By Evie Andreou
PROTESTS AND arrests marked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s first visit to the north on Monday since being elected president.
Protests started on Sunday night in Kugulu Park in northern Nicosia, near the Turkish Embassy.
Protesters, members of trade unions and non-governmental-organisations objected to Erdogan’s visit, especially on the day World Peace Day is celebrated (September 1), arguing that his actions have been against peace.
“He is responsible for deaths in Syria, in Iraq, he is responsible for the deaths of miners in Soma and for the deaths of protesters at the Gezi park,” Sener Elcil, general secretary of the Turkish Cypriot Teachers’ association (KTOS), told the Cyprus Mail.
“He is coming to Cyprus like a conqueror, like an Ottoman sultan. He has no respect for democracy,” Elcil said, adding that the Turkish Cypriot authorities took extraordinary measures to intimidate protesters and to prevent the media from covering the protest.
“There was no TV, no radio coverage. Only one newspaper was covering the event,” he said.
Police stepped in on Sunday and asked protesters, who were chanting slogans against Erdogan, not to set up the tents they had brought with them since they had not obtained permits from the municipality to do so. They confiscated the tent of a protester that ignored them and tried to set it up.
On Monday, Turkish Cypriot police also moved against protesters who stood along northern Nicosia’s main roads and traffic lights, with banners and placards saying “Tayyip you are not wanted”.
Three young men – a teacher and two university students – were arrested at noon for holding such banners but were released two hours later.
Another youth was arrested for holding a banner at a roundabout saying ‘Down with Fascism’.
Erdogan, who arrived in the island with his wife, Emine, was greeted by many supporters who were waiting for his arrival holding Turkish and ‘TRNC’ flags.
Another protest was to take place in Caglayan park also in Nicosia by the same organisations later on Monday but Elcil said that several organisations had decided not to participate out of fear of persecution.
Erdogan, who was to have meetings with Turkish Cypriot officials during his visit, was expected to leave the island at around 9pm.
