Tim Drayton wrote:I can't remember the date now, but some time in May or June I crossed into the north of Nicosia and walked past the Saray hotel. There was a group of about 70 people waving Turkish and TRNC flags and chanting nationalist slogans, doing their best to sound enthusiastic. Most of them looked like mainland Turks rather than TCs - the majority of the women had covered heads. I didn't give it much thought at the time.
Later in the day I learned from looking at the chauvinist Turkish Cypriot press that this was part of three-legged protest against the Orams ruling involving first a protest outside the British High Commission, then the UN offices at Ledra Palace and finally at the EU offices - which it turns out is opposite the Saray hotel. The chauvinist newspapers had all devoted front-page banner headlines to this demonstration, and were urging people to attend. In other words, the Turkish Cypriot right was aiming for a major mobilisation, and from what I saw all they got was a damp squib.
My conclusion is that this is not an issue that arouses much passion among most Turkish Cypriots, which supports a similar view that I have previously expressed on this forum. Maybe these hapless Brits better had lobby for themselves because nobody else appears likely to do so.
VP was all praises of the so called "strong British Lobby group" in the north who were going to put a stop first to the ECJ Opinion, then to the ECJ Ruling, and now we are all waiting for them to put a stop to the British High Court Ruling.
Tim, I'm sure most of the True TCs in the north are sick and tired of their lives being ruled by the settlers and the Fascist NeoPartitionist. They want to have a life like anyone else and not see their children grow in a "corrupted society", because they know there is no future for them the way things are going. They are forced in committing "Sins of Haram" by these Fascists. Given the choice, they would rather see a unified Cyprus in a True Democratic way and not have a partition which would mean that they will always be under the control of the Fascist. So I believe you when you say that there were not many TCs at the rally. Most of the TCs who bought GC land, are in the UK who are home and business owners which the ECJ ruling will effect them the most. Lets hope so.!