Working class and progressive sections in Cyprus have raised concerns about a racist attack on migrants in the Chloraka neighborhood of the Paphos district perpetrated by a group from the local community. On the night of Monday, August 28, two protests—one organized by migrants and the other by some local groups—turned violent and the riot police were called in. Migrant communities had started their protest on Sunday when the police raided a building occupied by several migrants living in the town. A group of locals attacked the migrants protesting the police raid. According to reports, the police arrested 21 people in connection with the violence.
On Tuesday, the Progressive Party of Working People (AKEL) called on the Democratic Rally (DISY)-led coalition government in the country to guarantee the safety of all residents of Chloraka without exception, along with their property, and prevent far-right and xenophobic violence from being repeated.
Over a period of time, Chloraka has seen rising tensions between migrants, many of them from Syria, and far-right and xenophobic sections within the local community. The dysfunctional asylum processing system in Cyprus has resulted in the swelling of the migrant population in Chloraka, who are cramped in congested accommodations and often live without permits. A section of the local population is agitated over the increasing number of migrants in their locality, especially due to the xenophobic rhetoric by right-wing groups which has escalated the tensions.
Progressive sections in the country claim that the situation created in Chloraka is the result of a lack of a comprehensive migration policy. They claim that the government, instead of formulating policies on asylum, migration, and integration, has limited itself to piecemeal and ineffective moves which have raised fear and racist hysteria and bred fanaticism and the far-right.
In its statement on Tuesday, AKEL reiterated that the country needs a practical asylum and migration policy based on international, European, and the Cypriot legal framework. It should include: 1) swift and lawful examination of asylum applications; 2) integration policies for those migrants and refugees who are legally in the country; 3) humane and dignified reception and accommodation structures; and 4) a practical pan-European system for placing refugees in all member states according to their population and capabilities.
“All this requires political will and the current government is called upon to act. Neither declarations nor tolerance of the far right will provide solutions,” AKEL said.
The Democracy in Europe Movement 2025 (DiEM25) in Cyprus also condemned the racist attack on migrants in Chloraka and expressed concern over the recurring episodes of aggression.
