UK Cypriots protest in Trafalgar Square…
This Sunday Cypriot’s march on Central London at this July’s anti-occupation rally, as this month marks 41 years since invading Turkish troops seized and occupied the northern one third of the Cyprus Republic, infringing and violating the territorial sovereignty of the Cypriot state, on the fateful tragic day, on July 20th 1974.
The protest rally begins outside Turkish Embassy in Belgrave Square at 3pm and marching on to Trafalgar Square for the main event itself.
Those gathered will be addressed by the Cypriot Minister of Agriculture Nicos Kouyialas and, pro-Cyprus British MPs will be giving short speeches to show their mutual support and solidarity to speed up efforts to put stop to the continuing division on the island.
The newly elected president of the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK, Christos Karaolis, urged Cypriots to pull-off this ”one small sacrifice” by their presence at the march, adding their voices to the cause and urging the UK Government’s backing to a ”just and sustainable solution” and one that brokers agreement to reuniting the country as a whole.
Christos Karaolis, the president of the National Federation of Cypriots UK…
Speaking to Drive Time host Tony Neophytou, Mr Karaolis, directly appealed to listener’s patriotic instinct. ”The fact you are listening to LGR means that something inside of you says you are a Cypriot, something inside of you makes you feel passionate about Cyprus be it whether you are born on the island or not, something inside of you feels passionate and I would ask you to demonstrate that passion this Sunday by turning out at 3 o’clock outside the Turkish Embassy on Belgrave Square where we will set off towards Trafalgar Square arriving there at 4pm, where we will joined by guest speaker minister of Agriculture for Cyprus, Nicos Kouyialis and parliamentarians… ”
”On the island there’s fresh momentum for a solution, there’s a new round of talks kicking off… we want to show our support here in the UK, that as British Cypriots, we still care deeply about what is going on in the island… we want to see our island reunited”.
”I would encourage everyone whatever their age to turn out and be there with us this Sunday, it’s a small sacrifice that we ask people to make for Cyprus but that small sacrifice if we can do it united as a community we’ll send a message loud and clear to our government here in the UK that as British voters this as an issue is important to us,” the president emphasised.
The umbrella wing, to some 80 associations of Cypriot villages to political parties and professional bodies, the federation has two key goals Christos explained.
”And I guess our goals are two fold first and foremost to lobby the government here in the UK to do what it can to help find a just and sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue, and secondly, as a federation to mobilise and advance our community here, we are a community in the UK and we are here to stay, and as a federation we are looking to mobilise and advance it in all walks of life”.
On Tuesday July 7th, a picket will take place outside the House of Commons from the Missing People’s Association and the Cypriot Federation, and a lobby of the chamber will occur at 7:15pm to 9:15pm with MPs being quizzed on their policies and thoughts to Cyprus, Mr Karaolis underlined… ”politicians across the political spectrum coming to join us to talk to us about their ideas on Cyprus and also more importantly to allow members of the community to put their questions to elected representatives about their doing for Cyprus…”
