New Cyprus Association condemns hateful reactions to Kyrenia shipwreck

Kyrenia, Cyprus. The New Cyprus Association on Tuesday expressed condolences and solidarity with the victims and those missing following a shipwreck off Kyrenia, while condemning hateful reactions by some members of the Greek Cypriot community.

The association said that human solidarity was the only appropriate response when people were in danger at sea.

Call for solidarity

“When a person is in danger at sea, we do not ask what language they speak, which community they belong to or what passport they hold. We hope they are saved,” the association said.

It said the disaster had been followed by reactions from some Greek Cypriots that it described as shameful, alleging that the shipwreck had been treated not as a human tragedy but as an opportunity for “mockery, gloating and expressions of hatred, publicly and openly”.

Reference to past suffering

The association said that, given the deep suffering and tragic experiences of 1963 and 1974, people might have been expected to emerge from them “more humane”.

It added that such behaviour had nothing to do with patriotism, stating that “love for one’s country is not measured by hatred for one’s neighbour”.

The association called on people to respond to the unfolding tragedy with respect and to remember that “before any national or communal identity, we are human beings”.