Cyprus-Forum.com

[MR-from-NG]

I've said it before I'll say it again. Give them enough rope they'll hang themselves. It is obvious they are desperate and their propaganda machine is well and truly out of tune.



From this week's Londra Gazete



TURKISH Cypriot and Turkish people were barred from attending a seminar on Turkey, Cyprus and the EU held at the House of Commons on Tuesday night, sparking a flood of protests against apparent racial discrimination.



Representatives from the Turkish language press and Turkish and Cypriot lobby groups were made to stand outside the Houses of Parliament in the rain after being refused entry to the seminar on the grounds that entrance was by invitation only. But a number of Greek Cypriots were seen to enter without showing invitations or having their names checked against a list.



Many of the Turkish Cypriot attendees had requested passes more than a week in advance of the seminar, which was organised by the National Federation of Cypriots – the Greek Cypriot lobby group responsible for the logo bearing a bloody map of Cyprus.



Of those who wrote to the organisers requesting a place on the guest list in advance of the event, most received no response. Some – including the London Turkish Gazette – received notice that they would not be granted entry on the grounds that all places had been filled. The respondent, Executive Secretary of the National Federation of Cypriots Andreas Karaolis, insisted that Turkish Cypriots had been among those invited to the event, although only one, Hasan Raif of the Demokrasi Derneği, was granted entry without difficulty.



A group of four additional Turkish Cypriots and Turks were later admitted at the scene following appeals by Andy Love MP and Mary Southcott of Friends of Cyprus, who insisted that both the communities must be represented. They were Akmen S›tk›, Chairman of the British Council of Turkish Cypriot Associations, Levent and Servet Hassan and Atalay Cholak of Embargoed!.



One Turkish Cypriot who tried to attend, Fevzi Hussein, said: “I was shocked to see at first hand the discrimination netted out to Turkish Cypriots. You hear about these things but never think that one day you will experience it for yourself.”



He added: “A guy from the NFC came outside to try to explain that the meeting was full, but the bottom line is that he could not explain why it was only Turkish Cypriots who were barred from entering – it was only Turkish people who were waiting outside in the pouring rain.”



Several other Turkish Cypriots were later admitted to the seminar after some MPs left early.



Chairman of the British Council of Turkish Cypriot Associations, Akmen S›tk›, said: “We found it totally unacceptable that they told us they had invited Turkish Cypriots but we found only one there. I told them that if this is representation it leaves a lot to be desired.”



CONTROVERSY

Turkish Cypriot guests at the conference later reported that the last few speakers had expressed anti-Turkish sentiments. Atalay Cholak and Lord Maginnis of Drumglass – who was also originally barred from entering – claimed a speech by MP Rudi Vis had bordered on racism. His address had insisted on Turkey’s permanent exclusion from the European Union on the basis of its human rights record.



Atalay Cholak told the London Turkish Gazette: “Levent and I interjected during his speech, saying it was offensive. We tried to shout him down but it all kicked off. To be fair to the organisers I think they were a bit embarrassed about what he was saying.”



PANDEMONIUM

The Turkish Cypriots in attendance were then refused permission to speak when they asked to be given an opportunity to address the assembled crowd. Lord Maginnis of Drumglass, a staunch supporter of Turkish Cypriot rights, was then reluctantly permitted to speak on behalf of Turkish Cypriots after insisting on his right as a peer to make an address in the Houses of Parliament.



But he was nearly assaulted by angry Greek Cypriots after referring to the 1974 intervention as a “peace operation”.



Some twenty policemen entered the room to pacify the crowd after members of the Federation began to threaten him.



Lord Maginnis said: “They certainly attacked me verbally and with a degree of hatred which is quite startling. When I thought it was time to intervene and remind people that history did not start in 1974; when I suggested that Nicos Sampson and not Turkish Cypriots brought down President Makarios, and that Turkey were right to bring about the peace operation, things descended into pandemonium.”



He added: “I came initially to listen, hoping that I would not hear what I knew I would inevitably hear: a one sided story.”



The crossbench peer expressed deep disgust at being prevented from speaking openly in the home of British politics. “The fact that whatever I wanted to say I could not say in the home of the democratic processes is totally unacceptable,” he said. “I wouldn’t have minded if people had disagreed with me, but for people to refuse to listen to me in the heart of a democracy is unacceptable.”



COMPLAINTS

Islington councillor, Meral Ece, accused the National Federation of Cypriots of widening the gap between Greek and Turkish Cypriots in a letter to Executive Secretary Andreas Karaolis yesterday. She wrote: “I was not [invited], and neither it would seem were any other prominent Turkish Cypriots. This is a real shame as your organisation clearly appears to give the impression that it represents all Cypriots, when in fact it seems to represent only one community, and then only those who seem to have a very narrow focus, with no clear vision of a peaceful and united Cyprus.”

[paliometoxo]

rubbish some turks where allowed in just because others they couldent get an invite they complain its nothing to do with the fact it was turks.. IT WAS FULL
you expect to sit on their knees? omg you turkish find anything to complain about and put us down.. this was NOTHING... and the turkish lies of the so called "PEACE opertion.." bombing for peace is like F***G for virginity i heard that somewhere.. i thought it was a nice saying.

i have noticed the only country in the world that thinks it was a peace operation is u turks the rest of the world know its an invasion. the ILLIGAL state of the TRNC not recognised by anywhere.. if it was a real peace operation then the world would recognise the TRNC

nice signature btw.. maybe i should put " a good turk is a dead turk"

[Pyrpolizer]

mrfromng,

I haven't said this before so hear this for the first time You gave the karasakalis so much rope that they hunged YOU.



I second the comment re your signature.

[MR-from-NG]

mrfromng,

I haven't said this before so hear this for the first time You gave the karasakalis so much rope that they hunged YOU.



I second the comment re your signature.

Nice one Pyrp.

Pali, my friend, my signature refers to 3 individuals, not to a whole nation. Having said this I don't think your idea "A GOOD TURK IS A DEAD TURK"is far from the truth. Why not use it as your signature? Be a man don't hide behind your little finger. Do it from the heart.

[paliometoxo]

wraia ... nicely said to Pyrpolizer

[zan]

rubbish some turks where allowed in just because others they couldent get an invite they complain its nothing to do with the fact it was turks.. IT WAS FULL
you expect to sit on their knees? omg you turkish find anything to complain about and put us down.. this was NOTHING... and the turkish lies of the so called "PEACE opertion.." bombing for peace is like F***G for virginity i heard that somewhere.. i thought it was a nice saying.

i have noticed the only country in the world that thinks it was a peace operation is u turks the rest of the world know its an invasion. the ILLIGAL state of the TRNC not recognised by anywhere.. if it was a real peace operation then the world would recognise the TRNC

nice signature btw.. maybe i should put " a good turk is a dead turk"

Tell us how many TCs got an invitation then??????

[growuptcs]

Zan, no governing platform discriminates GC's or TC's outside of Cyprus, especially in the sporting world. It's the GC's in every field that tries to make it difficult for you, any which way they could. Don't take it too personally though, its just politics. You tread on us and you act like we have no right to tread on you. My opinion though, it was first come, first serve in the arena.

[zan]

Zan, no governing platform discriminates GC's or TC's outside of Cyprus, especially in the sporting world. It's the GC's in every field that tries to make it difficult for you, any which way they could. Don't take it too personally though, its just politics. You tread on us and you act like we have no right to tread on you. My opinion though, it was first come, first serve in the arena.

No invitations to the Tcs and not a word in the TC papers because they were not informed.

I do realise that the GCs are there to make it hard for us and that will only serve to make us stronger so it is not all bad. As for the treading part.....can we say that you got what you deserved for the events of 63 to 74 then or are you going to deny that they happened as well. Eye for an eye for an eye for an.........................I do believe that we as TCS only used our veto against you and we were systematically murdered for it so where the hell do you get off telling me that we are treading on you. When we found help in Turkey to stop you then we did just that.

[growuptcs]

Bringing up 63 to 74 today is senseless because it was like the wild west then. BOTH sides suffered throughout history and no side wants to acknowledge that because it would be like defeat for both of us. So ONLY suggesting to keep the TRNC valid(which its not), only reminds us of those memories. Unification means WE BOTH have have to let go of the past. So TRNC isn't a solution, its just a band-aid for you and thats all it is. Our wounds aren't even being considered from your side because of trying to hijack our rights. So when you talk in a one way tone, only GC's know your not talking through your heart for unification, your talking through our windows of our homes.

[souroul]

well well, look who's talking about democracy. you only read about it in books