Young activists set upon Limassol police station
By Anna Hassapi
A GROUP of around 100 hooded demonstrators wrought havoc at the centre of Limassol on Wednesday night, as what started as a peaceful demonstration escalated into a stoning of Limassol Police headquarters.
A group of youths gathered at Grigori Afexendiou Square on Anexartisias Street on Wednesday night and started passing out leaflets condemning police violence and referring to the shooting of a 15-year-old boy by a police officer in Greece. Although the demonstration was initially peaceful, it caught the attention of local authorities and police.
In a bid to prevent trouble, the Mayor of Limassol Andreas Christou and city councillors rushed to the square and asked the group to leave. The demonstrators headed to police headquarters, where they started swearing at officers, throwing stones and pieces of wood. The group also used red paint to write slogans all over state buildings along Gladstone street.
Although there was a strong police presence and officers followed the group, no intervention was made to prevent violence from escalating. The group then moved on to the area of the central Co-operative Bank of Limassol at Gladstone street and dispersed at approximately 11.20pm.
One youth, who claimed to have participated in the events, yesterday called in at a local radio programme, and argued that no stones were thrown, as was described in the police report. The youth, who remained anonymous, said that the hooded demonstrators only threw red paint at the police building, as part of what he called a peaceful demonstration.