More than 150 mobsters arrested across Europe news

Cyprus: Serious riots against refugees news

After a demonstration against refugees, serious disturbances occurred last night in the Cypriot port city of Limassol. Around 350 masked people attacked businesses belonging to people with a migrant background and the people themselves, threw stones and incendiary devices and set fire to rubbish bins, as reported by the Cyprus Times newspaper.

Police used tear gas, five people were injured and there were 13 arrests. 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 running to safety as masked people shouted “Migrants out of Cyprus” and rioted. President Nikos Christodoulidis spoke of “shameful images”, as broadcaster RIK reported. In the morning, an emergency meeting took place in the presidential building with the responsible ministers, police, civil defense and firefighters.

Refugees represent six percent of the population

According to the Cypriot Ministry of the Interior, refugees now represent 6% of the population. In terms of population, the small island republic also receives by far the highest number of asylum applications per year in the EU. Refugee camps are overcrowded and ghettos have formed in many places.

The Republic of Cyprus has been a member of the EU since 2004. EU legislation and regulations apply only in the southern part of the island, where around 900,000 people live. In the north there are around 300,000. In recent years, Cypriot governments have repeatedly complained that refugees from Turkey legally travel to Northern Cyprus and from there cross the green border into Southern Cyprus and therefore into the EU.