The early hours of yesterday morning, read Saturday night, saw a violent conflict down at the waterfront. We didn’t go, and haven’t for a number of years - well not since we used to stay at a place a block away. However, the report is quite ugly. Apparently a fight broke out - typically the Cyprus Mail says “between a group of foreign nationals”, leaving the reader unsure how many groups were involved. Not that it really matters, except for laying charges, which will presumably happen. Two men in their twenties are in hospital, one with multiple skull fractures and two amputated fingers (!).
This is extremely unusual for New Year’s celebrations, despite the easy availability of - often free - beer and wine. Have never even seen anyone intoxicated or heard arguments. Sadly it will be put down to the number of refugees and the presence of human traffickers. This may in fact be part of the problem, but it’s by no means the whole story and the government is quite happy to deflect blame any way it can. It - like everything else - is the fault of theh North. And the island is being overwhelmed by refugees. Well, in absolute numbers Cyprus isn’t host to a great many compared with other EU countries but in terms of refugees per capita things are a little tougher,
Have noted an unusually high number of black people, disproportionately but by no means exclusively male. Refugees? Students? The young men outside the Indian shop on New Year’s Eve were mostly black. Having a drink and setting off fire crackers. Making the best of things but probably that’s about all.
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