The anti-immigrant protest in Limassol on Friday night exposed widespread extremism that is not afraid to destroy everything in sight and the shocking failure of the police to keep the situation under control.
The Molos region, where the people went to rest by the sea, turned into a battlefield in a short time with cars and motorcycles set on fire as a result of the protesters ruthlessly throwing Molotov cocktails.
After protesters moved to break windows, people began to flee for safety and took shelter in a nearby hotel. The children were around when the fireworks went off at random and it was a miracle that no one was killed in the violence.
The bandits targeted anyone with the “wrong” skin color. Seeing her workplace shattered, an Asian woman sat on the sidewalk unable to speak between sobs and simply said “I have four kids”. Shouting that they wanted the immigrants to leave the country, the protesters broke the safe of the woman’s shop and stole all the money she wanted to send to her family.
The protest began at 20:00 with some 200 black-clad rebels shouting “Cyprus is Greek” and chanting “We’ll start with the blacks first, then the police”.
Officials failed to contain the protest as Molos turned into a fire as protesters marched towards Anexartisias street, Glastonos and the old city, leaving behind a series of fires that spread across the city’s main arteries.
Less than five minutes into the march, screams were heard when a Syrian man was seen sitting idly by on the beach of Molos, and a group of bandits came towards him, shouting that he had no place in Cyprus, and began to beat him mercilessly.
The police were nowhere to be seen.
The rioters continued to shout “Throw him into the sea, throw him into the sea” and a splash was heard, but it was unclear whether another foreign national had dived to save himself or was thrown by extremists. It was a scene of total commotion, with hundreds of sounds and explosives bouncing in the background.
After he let go of her, she limped away and said in a confused voice, “What did I do to them?” she thought.
The rebels advanced only because their friends encouraged them not to lag behind the rest of the march.
In total, at least five foreign nationals were injured. An eyewitness told Cyprus Mail that a migrant was seen bleeding from his face.
“Limassol burned down tonight,” a police officer was heard muttering in shock as the roads were closed due to the burning of trash cans and the destruction in the streets. Windows of a smashed bus stop lined the sidewalks as people wondered if public transport would come – but police eventually began controlling traffic in the area.
Targeted attacks on immigrants went unchecked by the police, and foreign-owned businesses such as a Syrian barber shop and food court were smashed.
Although it is a well-known fact that there are multicultural businesses on the waterfront, there were no police officers in the area to keep watch and thwart violent protesters.
Seeing their shop shattered, a group of Syrians looked at the scene in shock and said, “There were five police cars here and they did nothing. They saw everything.” The astonished looks on their faces betrayed the horror they had experienced when they saw the thugs burst in.
The famous police water cannon Aiantas stood there idly and ultimately served as a decorative accessory. Some of the back streets smelled of tear gas, suggesting that there was a lot of hustle and bustle in the area. Ultimately, however, it was the bandits, not the police, that controlled the area on Friday night.
Ironically, there were many police officers and anti-riot members at the scene, but they were all in the wrong places. Despite assurances earlier in the day that a plan of action was in place, police were unable to follow up the march and prevent protesters from branching out to attack the migrants. They failed to secure a wider audience when no checks were made to see what was on the men with balaclavas on their faces.
The police failed to protect the migrants known to be operating in the area, as riot police were not stationed in the area and the water tanker was parked next to the sidewalk.
A senior Limassol police official was heard shouting over the radio: “Protesters are advancing towards the old port and marina, you know what that means”. He seemed shocked that the march had gone beyond the borders of Molos.
The pungent stench of smoke choked the area and fireworks rang out among the pedestrians as diners ditched their meals and fled to the back of the restaurants. Many business owners closed their shops early, fearing for themselves, their employees and their property.
Police also failed to protect journalists who were attacked by the crowd and a cameraman who was beaten and whose equipment fell to the ground.
