A brutal gang attack against migrants in Oroklini, involving masked individuals wielding knives and machetes, has laid bare the state’s failure to address squalid living conditions, a situation known to multiple authorities for eight years.
The Saturday assault left a 27-year-old man critically injured and fighting for his life, and a two-month-old baby seriously wounded.
Critics argue that the state’s inaction in tackling the long-standing issue of the dilapidated apartments effectively made it complicit in the violent eviction attempt.
The masked attackers, reportedly members of criminal gangs, forcibly tried to remove migrants who had been illegally occupying the premises. The building had been subject to an unexecuted unfitness order issued in February 2022, following reports highlighting the appalling living conditions of the migrants, whose accommodation was initially paid for by the state.
The issue dates back to 2017 when Neofytos Fakontis, the then community leader of Oroklini (now Deputy Mayor of Larnaca), informed the Larnaca District Administration about the dire living conditions of the residents, who were not migrants at the time. “We had asked for the apartment blocks to be closed then because they lacked a final approval certificate, had no potable water, and sewage was leaking out,” he told Phileleftheros, adding that after 2018, the apartments began to be rented to migrants.
At one point, over 250 migrants resided in the complex, prompting further action. According to the Deputy Mayor, the landlord was allegedly transporting water of dubious quality by tanker, and there were complaints of water theft from neighbouring houses.
The 2022 closure order was followed by repeated communications from the Oroklini Community Council to the Deputy Ministry of Welfare. “I told them it was unthinkable for the state to spend so many thousands of euros on rent for the owner. They told me they had stopped the rent allowance, but I found it continued to be paid for some time. In 2022, I also went to the Demographic Committee in Parliament, and they visited twice to see the living conditions. NGOs also went on-site and concluded that people could not live there,” Fakontis said.
Efforts continued, he added. “In March 2023, I sent a letter to the Interior Minister outlining all the actions we had taken since 2017, and I had a meeting with him where he said they would look into the matter.”
The police were also aware of the situation but stated they could not intervene without a court order, based on a Law Office opinion. However, no such court order was ever sought during this entire period. Asked who should have taken action, Fakontis said the Larnaca District Administration was responsible for initiating procedures and executing the 2022 order.
In 2024, the six-block complex, comprising 57 apartments, was bought by a company with foreign shareholders. In early February, the company, through a law firm letter seen by Phileleftheros, informed Larnaca Municipality and the local police that they would take “lawful measures” to remove the migrants.
The letter stated that the company had been approached by an individual with whom they had a written agreement. This individual allegedly assured them they could “arrange their removal peacefully, in exchange for a fee for himself and a symbolic fee for each of the complex’s occupants.” The letter further noted that the company received assurances the removal would be “amicable and with the consent” of the migrants.
The municipality and police were invited to be present as observers during the eviction process “for the purpose of confirming that it will proceed within the framework of the law and that no disturbances will occur.” The letter explicitly stated that the intervention of the police or the municipality was not requested, “as this is not legally permitted.”
This set the stage for the events of last Saturday, when 15 masked individuals took the law into their own hands, terrorising the area. “They never informed us that they would do what happened on Saturday, which was wrong,” said the Deputy Mayor of Larnaca, noting that he was informed by local residents. “I went to the scene and saw the man lying in the middle of the road. I also saw Africans taking wood from a house fence. The road was closed, and the police were diverting traffic. When I arrived, there was one patrol car with two officers and four plainclothes officers. More patrol cars arrived later,” he added.
The police have categorically denied any prior knowledge of the illegal eviction operation. “We received the letter from the lawyers, and about 15 days ago, representatives of the company were summoned to the police. They were told that they should first obtain a relevant decree and then inform the police so that the handling of the case could be decided,” police spokesperson Michalis Michael told Phileleftheros.
In a familiar pattern, the relevant state services have only begun to actively address the issue after the violent incident, despite numerous past complaints from residents. Yesterday, a census was taken of those still residing in the apartments. It was found that 11 individuals, all holding residency permits, are now illegally occupying the premises. Most residents left after the violence.
Larnaca Municipality, in consultation with other services, has decided to apply to the court for a nuisance order. Mayor Andreas Vyras clarified that when Oroklini was incorporated into the municipality last July, the complex had already been sold to the company. “We had been informed in writing by the company that the legislation for the eviction of migrants would be followed. However, after what happened and since no solution is being found, we will apply to the court for an order ourselves, as it is inhumane for people to live in such conditions.”
Police investigations into the perpetrators of the attack are ongoing. In addition to the arrest of the 35-year-old manager of the complex, who allegedly coordinated Saturday’s operation, Larnaca CID yesterday afternoon arrested a 29-year-old migrant from Congo.
Two further arrest warrants have been issued for migrants from Congo and a Romanian national believed to have participated in the eviction attempt.
Additionally, a 29-year-old resident of the apartments was arrested for lacking a residency permit in the Republic of Cyprus.
