2023-09-03 06:52:51
One day after attacks against migrants and refugees, hundreds of people took to the streets in the Cypriot port city of Limassol on Saturday evening to demonstrate against fascism and racism. “Smash fascism – in Limassol and everywhere,” chanted the demonstrators. According to the police, the demonstration was peaceful, the Cyprus Radio (RIK) reported on Sunday.
On Friday evening, hundreds of masked people in Limassol damaged migrant shops and attacked the people themselves. They threw incendiary devices and stones and set garbage cans on fire. The police used tear gas and a water cannon, five people were injured and 13 were arrested. According to media reports, the masked people were right-wing extremists.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis condemned these attacks and said he was ashamed of what had happened. Police showed a heavy presence throughout the city center of Limassol during the night, Cypriot Radio reported on Sunday.
According to the Cypriot Interior Ministry, refugees and migrants make up six percent of the population. Measured by population, the small island republic has by far the highest number of asylum applications per year in the EU. The refugee camps are overcrowded, in many places ghettos have formed in which people live in poverty.
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