Turkish Cypriot Prime Minister Unal Ustel strongly condemned the burning of Turkish and TRNC flags by Greek Cypriot youths during protests in southern Cyprus marking the TRNC’s 43rd anniversary. He called the acts an attack on the honor of the Turkish nation and urged the Greek Cypriot administration to take immediate action against those responsible.
In a written statement, Ustel said the hate-filled chants directed at Turkish Cypriots and Türkiye reflected a long-standing hostile mentality promoted by the Greek Cypriot side. He noted that teachers and members of parliament took part in the protests and accused the administration of encouraging young people to spread hostility, including through schools.
Ustel declared that any attack on the flags, values or existence of the Turkish Cypriot people and the Turkish nation would be met with a clear and resolute response. He described the flag burnings as insolent, unacceptable and unforgivable, and accused the Greek Cypriot leadership of hypocrisy for talking about peace while fostering anti-Turkish sentiment.
Protests were organized by groups including the far-right ELAM party. Demonstrators waved Greek and Byzantine flags, chanted slogans such as “Death to Turks, Cyprus is Greek,” and tried to march toward the TRNC border but were stopped by police. In a notable move, the Greek Cypriot Education Ministry told schools not to mark students absent if they joined the demonstrations.
NEWS DESK
PRESS UPDATE