Police in Cyprus have made 20 arrests after a spate of racism-fuelled violence towards migrants which erupted within the west of the island final week and unfold to its southern metropolis of Limassol in a weekend rampage.
Storefronts belonging to migrants within the island’s second metropolis have been smashed and Asian supply drivers assaulted in a string of violent incidents which began on Friday evening and continued till the early hours of Sunday.
Cyprus has seen an upsurge in anti-migrant sentiment in recent times, in addition to a spike in delinquent behaviour which was previously restricted to soccer hooliganism and drunken vacationers.
Last week Syrians dwelling in Chlorakas, a village in western Cyprus, have been focused by hooded attackers in sporadic incidents over two days, resulting in 22 arrests.
Undeterred, about 500 individuals moved to Limassol on Friday occurring a rampage which focused foreign-owned companies and individuals who didn’t look Greek Cypriot. Overnight Saturday to Sunday, three individuals from southeast Asia have been attacked and robbed, state media mentioned.
The newest disturbances have been fuelled by what advocacy teams say is a fumbled response by state authorities to a surge in irregular migration to the jap Mediterranean island and a tolerance of xenophobic rhetoric and behavior.
