Activists have called for a mass demonstration in Nicosia following the killing of a 24-year-old Pakistani migrant by a police officer in the buffer zone.
The protest, organised by the group “Initiative Against Border Violence” is scheduled for noon on January 19 at Nicosia’s Municipal Garden.
It comes amid outrage and condemnation over the police’s handling of migration as well as concerns about increasing racism and intolerance in local society.
In an announcement on Facebook, organisers said the latest killing “reveals the normalisation of violence against migrants and the depth of institutional racism“.
“The bullets of the border policies did not come out of nowhere”, they state, citing a pattern of incidents including “mass imprisonment of migrants in Pournara, push-backs at sea, racist pogroms in Chloraka and Limassol” and the death of Anisur Rahman during a migrant raid in Limassol in April 2024.
The campaigners argue that “migrant workers occupy the most underpaid and dangerous roles of Cypriot society”, adding that “this exploitation is the design of state policies not a hiccup”. They warn that “in times of crisis, such as today, there is an increase in deportations, pushbacks and the violence that accompanies them”.
“We have no trust in the state and the police who investigate themselves and try to cover up their actions”, the announcement declares. “We demand to know the name of the murdered man and the name of the murderer”.
The organisers emphasise their rejection of divisions between communities, stating: “We do not accept that we are ‘other’ than migrants in Cyprus – we are neighbors, coworkers, and migrants ourselves. Our interests are common”.
The demonstration, organised under the slogan “Solidarity Smashes Borders”, is calling for broader support, with organisers urging “groups and individuals to support the call or make their own for Sunday’s demonstration”.
