After a demonstration against refugees and migrants, there were serious riots in the Cypriot port city of Limassol on Friday evening. About 350 hooded men attacked migrant shops and the people themselves, throwing petrol bombs and stones and setting rubbish bins on fire. According to the Cypriot Ministry of the Interior, refugees and migrants now make up six percent of the total population.
The police used tear gas, five people were injured, there were 13 arrests.
President regrets ‘shameful images’
According to media reports, the masked people are right-wing extremists. Right-wing extremists had already attacked migrants in the small town of Chloraka last weekend. Television footage showed passersby fleeing to safety as the hooded men chanted “Migrants from Cyprus” and rioted.
On Friday evening, President Nikos Christodoulidis spoke of “shameful images”, broadcaster RIK reported. On Saturday morning, a crisis meeting took place in the presidential building with the responsible ministers, the police, civil protection and the fire brigade.
Nowhere have so many asylum applications as in Cyprus
According to the Cypriot Ministry of the Interior, refugees and migrants now make up six percent of the population. In terms of population, the small island republic also has by far the highest number of asylum applications per year in the EU. The refugee camps are overcrowded and ghettos have formed in many places where people live in poverty. These circumstances serve as the reason for the riots for the far right.
Source: Krone
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