School students from all over Cyprus staged protests to mark the 41st anniversary of the north’s unilateral declaration of independence on Friday.
The largest protest of the day took place in Nicosia, where school students’ coordinating committee Psem organised a march from the wholesale market in the capital’s eastern suburb of Kaimakli to the Mia Milia checkpoint, which has remained closed since Turkey’s invasion of the island in 1974.
A total of 3,000 people took part in the march, chanting slogans in support of a federal solution to the Cyprus problem and unity between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities.
Psem chairwoman Georgia Grigoriou gave a speech when the march arrived at the Mia Milia checkpoint, saying, “we will fight until Cyprus’ final vindication, until the liberation and reunification of our country and people.”
“Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots should be allowed to live freely and peacefully together, away from guarantees, invasive rights and imperialist interventions,” she added.
The protest was also attended by Frederick University’s student union, which had chosen to march with Psem rather than university students’ union Pofen due to the latter’s decision to carry Greek flags on their march.
Frederick University student union chariman Giannis Lapithios also made a speech at the demonstration, saying, “it is our duty to take action, to be informed, and to fight for a future in which there are no divided homelands.”
“We may not have seen with our own eyes the moments of destruction in Cyprus, but we see the situation in Palestine every day. That is why we are committed to fight ceaselessly for peace on our island and in the whole world,” he added.
However, not everyone at the demonstration was optimistic for a solution. One demonstrator told the Cyprus Mail, “there won’t be a solution any time soon, because no matter how hard we fight, it might take decades to solves this.
“However, we will never stop fighting.”
