REPRESENTATIVES of the demonstrators, who gather outside the presidential palace every night calling for the resignation of President Christofias, have alleged that their activities were being monitored by the secret service KYP. At a news conference held on Tuesday, the representatives alleged that plainclothes policemen were taking pictures of protestors and recording car registration numbers.
The allegations were not backed by any evidence, even though it is not outside the realm of possibility that KYP officers were photographing protestors and taking down cars registration numbers. The failure by the government spokesman Stefanos Stefanou to reject these claims, when asked to comment, suggested that the demonstrators had a point.
Then again, the secret service could argue that they were obliged to monitor the protests for reasons of state security. There was a possibility, however small, that the protest could turn violent and lead to an attack on the presidential palace. KYP could argue, quite justifiably, that it was gathering intelligence in the event things turned nasty and it had to bring in individuals for questioning.
It is difficult to claim that KYP was doing anything wrong, considering that the nightly protests were directed against the head of State. The secret services of most democratic countries would have behaved in the same way. The allegations, however, that two demonstrators employed in the public sector had been approached and told that they could lose their jobs if they did not reveal who was funding the protests, was more worrying, if correct, because it would be a clear case of blackmail, sponsored by the secret service in an attempt to extract information.
There was no proof that this behaviour had been sanctioned by the government. It could have been a case of officials overstepping the boundaries, on their own initiative. This is why it is difficult to disagree with Stefanou who, responding to the allegations, said that the government was not targeting anyone. “On the contrary the government has shown great tolerance and patience, even though it has been the target of criticism and attacks from different quarters,” he said.
In fairness, the authorities’ handling of the nightly protests at the palace, with the exception of an isolated incident of police over-reaction, has been even-handed and sensible. The policing has been easy thanks to the civilised behaviour of the demonstrators who have shown that they have no interest in causing trouble or disturbances.
All in all, it would be no exaggeration to say that the nightly protests have proved a civilised and mature affair and both sides deserve credit for this as they have shown their strong commitment to democratic behaviour, even though KYP might not have done everything by the book.
