Cyprus-Forum.com

[Milo]

LARNACA municipality has called for its immigrant community to be dispersed around the island after several violent clashes with nationalists and immigrant factions in recent weeks.

In a letter to the Justice Ministry on November 30 the municipality said: “
To address this “worrying” issue and avoid more violence, the municipality intends to set up an ad hoc committee under the mayor’s auspices and develop a strategy for the intended clear out.

Their plan is likely to be a setback for the interior ministry who yesterday launched an island wide refugee awareness campaign - in cooperation with a Cypriot PR firm Opinion Action Services – to raise awareness about what it means to be a recognised refugee and a beneficiary of international protection.

Interior Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis said at the launch event yesterday: “Cyprus is facing serious challenges from a large number of asylum applications. For this purpose we have concrete measures to improve both time for consideration of applications and to improve procedures. "

The Minister reasserted the government’s commitment to an immigration policy "...that brings us closer to our vision of a just, multicultural and tolerant society that respects everyone's rights, and to a society that will show zero tolerance for exploitation: A society free from any xenophobic and racist syndromes.”

These also coincided with announcement of another anti-immigrant demonstration, on December 8 in Larnaca by a local residents group called the Larnaca Citizens Committee.

The committee’s letter appears to demonstrate the intolerance of local asylum seekers that the interior ministry aims to tackle through the campaign.

Referring to the local Palestinian refugees, the committee said yesterday: “These immigrants are cunning profiteers who take advantage of the country, the economy and our people.”

About the authorities’ handling of the immigration situation in Larnaca, the committee said: “The state merely stands by, watching with apathy and indifference... We simply disagree with how the immigrant problem is being handled up until now, a problem which will possibly lead us and our children to emigration.”

Asked to explain the goal of the joint EU and Ministry project, Opinion Action consultant Sandra Hadjisavva said yesterday: “This project is a continuation of last year’s campaign to inform people about what it means to be a political refugee. This year we are focussing on social inclusion.”

Opinion Action will do this through a series of conferences, meetings with media and refugee communities and educational events in schools.

Hadjisavva said: “We have already started doing tutorials and seminars in elementary and high schools where we talk about social inclusion and (today) we will hold the first teachers’ seminar in Phanoromeni square.”



http://www.cyprus-mail.com/cyprus/anti- ... n/20101207

Dispersing the immigrant community around the island? Is this citizens 'group' actually what it seems to be?

Are Palistinians profiteers?

Should the govt stamp this ugliness out before it gets worse?

Do the immigrants actually recieve money from the govt in Cyprus?

As Cyprus itself has many of its population in early cases forced to live outside it, is this intolerance surprising?

As one commentor says "Perhaps the 'larnaca citizen's committee' should up sticks and move to a mono-cultural town, luddites that they obviously are".

[Gasman]

Morning Milo - yes this was being talked about well in advance of it happening. Very sad they seem to be targetting one group of immigrants. Hardly likely to encourage them to 'integrate' is it?

Cyprus not such a friend to Palestinians after all? Who next? Lebanese?

[supporttheunderdog]

I would have thought many G.C. would have some sympathy with the Palestinians, bearing in mind many of them are refugees, or the Children of refugees, forced out of their own homes in circumstances that are not too dissimilar to the circumstances in which many GC were forced from their own homes in 1974.

[Cap]

I encourage Palestinian and African refugees to go to Anatolia, UK, USA where they will be welcomed with open arms.
They will feed you, clothe you and provide free housing for you and your multiple spouses and many children.