President-elect Nikos Christodoulides on Thursday condemned a homophobic attack which took place in Limassol the night before during a Technical University (Tepak) student Development Centre event organised by Accept-LGBTI.
Specifically, a written statement by Christodoulides said “respect for the human rights, diversity and dignity of all citizens is non-negotiable in a democratic state. We focus, with determination, on the effort to combat all forms of discrimination which limit citizens’ rights or cause inequalities.
“Violent acts, like those that took place at Tepak, are not acceptable and we condemn them. Police have already started investigating the incident and we expect results very soon,” Christodoulides said.
House President Anita Demetriou also condemned the attack. “This was an anachronistic act that has no place in a modern democratic society,” Demetriou told morning state radio.
Tepak rector Panayiotis Zaphiris described the incident as an “act of terror against the free exchange of ideas.”
Political parties Akel, Disy, Diko, Edek, New Wave and Famagusta for Cyprus condemned the attack as well.
On Wednesday evening, Accept posted a video of the incident which showed a group of men, dressed in black and wearing masks entering a lecture hall at Tepak.
A person is seen setting off a fire extinguisher while others are heard shouting homophobic hate slogans. On their way out they are seen smashing and destroying everything in their way.
According to police, the unidentified masked men fled the scene before members of the force arrived. A 21-year-old student was punched in the face during the incident.
In a post on Facebook after the attack, Accept said they have more videos in their possession and urged witnesses to help identify the suspects.
“These bullying acts of hatred simply prove that homophobia reigns in our island and that we must do more with more courage and tenacity,” Accept said.
“We won’t be intimated and we won’t stay silent,” ACCEPT stressed.
Police are investigating a case of public disturbance, aggravated assault, as well as hate crime offences.
Limassol CID are evaluating the closed-circuit television surveillance as investigations are ongoing.
