Cyprus-Forum.com

[Filitsa]

Is the flying of the Greek flag in Cyprus a political or cultural statement?

[DT.]

Is the flying of the Greek flag in Cyprus a political or cultural statement?

cultural. It is banned from public buildings now.

[Nikitas]

You need to go back over a century to understand the flying of the Greek flag.

Our British masters allowed and prohibited the flying of the Greek flag according to their needs of the time. It was encouraged at the times it suited them, like when they recruited volunteers for the Great War and WWII and prohibited it when the locals demonstrated for union with Greece or dared initiate any kind of independent action.

Nowdays when obscenely large flags on the other side of the cease fire line are making a statement it is inevitable that some countermeasure will occur.

[Expatkiwi]

Flying the Greek Flag is making a statement, but to whom is that statement addressed? It's like that large TRNC flag painted on the mountains overlooking Nicosia: Is it stating that there is a country called TRNC there, or is it simply a giant version of 'giving the finger' to the folk south of the border? It depends upon your point of view. As a collector of flags (and I do have the Greek, Turkish, RoCy, and TRNC flags in my collection), I do see that flags can be a very powerful symbol to both those whom it represents, and their adversaries.

[Nikitas]

YOu do not need a PhD to see that the flag on the mountain is more than a flag. It provokes the south. Those that put it there and those that keep it should remember this. And we must also look at the TRNC flag, which contains not one single Cypriot symbol and what that says about the assumptions of those that have it as a symbol.

[observer]

Is the flying of the Greek flag in Cyprus a political or cultural statement?

cultural. It is banned from public buildings now.

It was flying above the customs place at the Ledra Palace crossing just under a week ago, as it has every time I have crossed since it opened. No RoC flag either, as I mentioned in this forum about 6 months ago.

[DT.]

Is the flying of the Greek flag in Cyprus a political or cultural statement?

cultural. It is banned from public buildings now.

It was flying above the customs place at the Ledra Palace crossing just under a week ago, as it has every time I have crossed since it opened. No RoC flag either, as I mentioned in this forum about 6 months ago.

Take a picture.

[Viewpoint]

[CopperLine]

The whole flag-flying thing, especially the "mine's bigger than yours" oneupmanship, is symptom of an infantile disorder. It is where patriotism takes a long second place to sheer provocation. The besparmak/pentadactylos flags are simply an obscenity (as well as being downright vulgar). All symbols less of national pride than of deep insecurity.

[kurupetos]

The Cyprus constitution of 1960 gives the right to fly the greek and/or turkish flag with (or without it for cypriot citizens) the cypriot flag. So what the fuck are you arguing here?

Article 4 of the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus that was adopted on August, 16 1960 refers to the national flag:

The Republic shall have its own flag of neutral design and colour, chosen jointly by the President and the Vice-President of the Republic.
The authorities of the Republic and any public corporation or public utility body created by or under the laws of the Republic shall fly the flag of the Republic and they shall have the right to fly on holidays together with the flag of the Republic both the Greek and the Turkish flags at the same time.
The Communal authorities and institutions shall have the right to fly on holidays together with the flag of the Republic either the Greek or the Turkish flag at the same time.
Any citizen of the Republic or any body, corporate or unincorporate other than public, whose members are citizens of the Republic, shall have the right to fly on their premises the flag of the Republic or the Greek or the Turkish flag without any restriction.
Before the national flag of the Republic of Cyprus was introduced the flags of Greece and Turkey were used.