Elam members marched on Larnaca’s Finikoudes beach on Friday night in protest against migration.
The march made its way from Europe Square up the beach road and was billed as a protest “against crimes committed by illegal immigrants”, with the party saying it “demands a climate of safety in our homeland”.
According to the Cyprus News Agency, protesters were chanting slogans such as “immigrants out now” and “criminal foreigners out”.
Elam MP Sotiris Ioannou spoke at the event, saying, “in recent months, Larnaca has been suffering from the criminal activity of allegedly unaccompanied minor illegal immigrants.”
He added that Larnaca has become “unsafe” and added that this is also the case in “various areas throughout Cyprus which have become ghettoised”.
He then went on to say that his party has been demanding “the implementation of a strict immigration policy” and a “fight against crime”.
“In recent months, it is a reality that some policies have been implemented, but we need to go further to be able to achieve our goals. We gathered here today because we demand safety in our neighbourhoods and that which is obvious for our country,” he said.
He added, “our positions over the years have been mocked, called unserious and unrealistic. They called them racism and populism. But what is being applied today? Everything we said.
“We will continue to prioritise the real and existing problems that people face today. Cyprus first, and its people above all else. This is the message we are sending today. We demand measures, we demand security, we demand a strict immigration policy, we demand these criminals go home.”
Given the potential for violence, a total of 125 police officers turned out to secure the event, while drones and fixed cameras were also used to ensure the safety of people in the area.
