Residents of Nicosia suburb Kokkinotrimithia and nearby villages on Saturday staged a peaceful protest against the problematic way the Pournara Irregular Migrants’ Reception Center operates in their area.
They stopped traffic for 10 minutes as well at the highway near the Kokkinotrimithia roundabout just before noon.
A week ago, a letter was sent to the Interior Minister by the community heads of Kokkinotrimithia, Deneia and Mammari area explaining the reasons they planned to protest. Notably:
- Problems regarding the residents’ health
- Problems regarding the residents’ safety
- Increase of criminality
- Economic decline
- Freezing of development
Moreover, the residents are asking the government to:
- Prohibit the movement of migrants in the community
- Limit their number to 600
- Leave them in the Center for 20 days and then transfer them elsewhere as provided by law
- Improve the living conditions of the 600 who will remain in the center.
