LYMBIA village was calm yesterday following Tuesday’s storm where disgruntled residents caused traffic chaos by blocking off the Nicosia highway.
The roads in and out of the village were clear, with few people out and about in the quiet streets.
Reactions to the violent protests were mixed, with people all too eager to put their point of view across.
Christos, a 21-year-old who works at the local kiosk, admitted that what happened wasn’t good, but said it was the only way to “make the authorities sit up and listen to us”.
“What else were we meant to do?” he asked.
“I actually blame the police for their heavy-handed actions.”
When asked if it was right that young children had to witness violent scenes, Christos said: “Our actions were for the benefit of the children, who are our future.”
He added that all the children present were supervised by their parents.
He also spoke out against the proposed creation of the waste disposal plant, describing it as dangerous to health and “to the future of our village”.
“So many people have left Lymbia over the years, and this will just accelerate the phenomenon of people moving away.”
He added that the plant should be built somewhere where there are no objections. “It was originally going to be in Athienou and we don’t want it here.”
Dora Hadjigavriel who owns a small clothing store agreed. “Our aim was not to inconvenience the public but if they were in our shoes for just one second, they would understand where we are coming from,” she said.
She claimed that the authorities used underhand tactics, starting construction work in the early hours and then sealing off access roads to keep the villagers out.
“We had posted several people in the area to keep watch and they soon rang the alarm but we had to walk over three kilometres to the site in the middle of the night to see what was going on.
“We didn’t like the way police treated us, as though we are second-class citizens and they showed a total lack of respect. Some of the officers were just young boys.”
She described the violence which erupted as, “our right to respond to this provocation,” adding that, “it was a miracle that nobody died.
“The politicians need to get their act together. To me, it seems as though the Interior Minister doesn’t give a damn what we think. Why can’t they just move the proposed site a few kilometres away from us? As for the media, they only report what suits them.”
Speaking out on what she perceives are the health risks of the plant, Hadjigavriel said that if it goes ahead, “in the future children in the village will be born with diseases and disabilities.”
Not everybody agreed though. Erik Nicolaou, 25, said the events of Tuesday “made the villagers look like idiots.
“One of their main objections is that the plant will cause environmental damage, but their actions in one day caused more environmental damage than the plant will cause in one year.”
He added that he believes the plant would be perfectly safe. “We see similar plants in towns all over Europe without any problem. The waste is treated so there’s no danger and the incentives being offered by the government are worth taking up.”
An elderly man at the local coffee shop described what happened as “a disgrace which was seen by the whole island”.
“I wish people would realise that violence never achieves anything. These people thought they were helping the cause of the village, but all that’s happened is that they have turned public opinion against us.
“As far as the authorities are concerned, I wouldn’t be surprised if they now dig their heels in and make life as difficult as possible for us.”
