FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS
By a scribe called Haji Mike
THE GOLDEN BOY FLUMPS AGAIN – Foreign Minister Giorgos Lillikas has a habit of making bold sweeping statements which he feels are historic – then a short time after adds a preordained sense of closure to the hornet’s nest he has disturbed. Last Saturday’s peaceful celebration by Cypriots, Greek and Turkish down Ledra Street was scarred by a counter-demonstration from a rather confusing little bunch of Neo-Nazi goose steppers (see below).
Lillikas, being the communications expert he thinks he is, after all he majored in this subject in France, seized the opportunity by making a rather vain attack on what he sees as ‘both extremes’. Putting the peaceful celebration of a wall that was torn down by his own government as the other side of the coin of Neo-Nazism is a deplorable misjudgment on his part. The polyphonic nature of the people in attendance to celebrate the wall coming down is the complete opposite of the fanaticism of the young-Neo-Nazis.
At least he could have apologized; after all, a good number of the unification protesters came all the way from Pyrgos-Liminitis, a place that has been isolated due to the hatred and division in Cyprus since 1964. Perhaps Mr Lillikas can explain why these residents are the other extreme of Neo-Nazism? Then again, Lillikas could also come correct by acknowledging the two extremes are those who want war and those who want peace – those who want unification and those who want to maintain the division of Cyprus. The real point is what side of the fence he is really on…
GOVERNMENT MINISTER DRINKS COFFEE WHILE NAZIS SALUTE - I am not referring to a scene from a movie set in a busy 1930s street in Germany. This happened last Saturday down Ledra Street when a rather casual Minister of Commerce and Tourism, Mr Antonis Michaelides, sipped away and said on camera that this was all good as it was a reflection of ‘democracy’. I would suggest the minister considers approaching our German EU partners with our new found sense of prostituted pluralism. He may even consider a new trade for Cyprus – exporting goose-steppers!
A CONFUSING BUNCH of people this Neo-Nazi lot. First of all they hide behind a mickey-mouse organisation, supported by the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, named EFEN. These are the same people who instigated the recent racist attack at the English school. These are also the same goons who often frequent the Ledra Palace checkpoint, usually at night, in the attempt of dissuading Greek Cypriots from crossing – with threats such as ‘we are out to drink Turkish blood’ and wait for it ‘beware the hangman’s noose will be a returning.’
Now, last Saturday, these great grand children of ‘Mein F?hrer’ came across as a gang of thugs giving off rather confusing messages. For example, it’s painfully laughable when people give the Hitler salute while chanting ‘Cyprus is Greek’ and having the audacity to wear the kaffiyeh.
The sorry sad case of Neo-Nazism in Cyprus is not just a bunch of kids trying to be patriotic – as some of the local media dubbed them. It is a complete violation of human rights, as their nasty Nazi salutes are racist and they should have been arrested by the police on the spot for such a crime.
The government, being the passers-by that they are to racism, Neo-Nazism and fascism in contemporary Cyprus, should by now have prohibited EFEN. Its members who displayed Nazi affiliations, who are easily identifiable from police and press pictures, should by now have been arrested for openly racist behaviour and attempting to incite a riot – both crimes under Cypriot and EU law. Instead the images of these Neo-Nazis have gone round the world, giving the impression that Cyprus accepts such extreme fringe groups as the norm.
Maybe Antonis Michaelides should also be quoted with the pics – after all, according to him, ‘this is democracy’.
AND THE SAGA GOES ON… So the wall came partially down, and as it did, the blame game officially received another boost by sun up. Three days on TV images claimed to say what Talat said – even though none of our news media actually interviewed him in full. Furthermore anyone who dissented from the hegemonic line of the holy political ruling trinity was denied a voice or defined as a in league with ‘outsiders’ – a crime in Cyprus tantamount to treachery.
Christofias then confidently says ‘they blame Tassos Papadopoulos for the last two years’ of impasse on a solution. And hey presto, amazing how from bringing a wall down, they have simply in fact reversed all the potential positive energy into new scene billion and one in the infinite round of the cat and mouse blame game.
No doubt, Talat and Turkey will soon join in – after all they cannot be left behind – and we will all live happily ever after in the stalemate that surrounds us. The same night, CyBC had the results of an opinion poll in Greece, which, hey presto, showed the President of Cyprus to be popular with 60 per cent of the sample (note 1,000 people interviewed by phone presumably, out of a total of over 10.6 million). The next channel had a reportage about a mother still waiting for three children, who have been missing since 1974. The newsreader obviously could not change anything, but he looked as resolute as expected, giving off the impression that the invasion happened just yesterday…
Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2007
