A group of migrant residents of Chloraka demonstrated on Monday after a decision by local authorities to cut off their electricity supply.
Local authorities argue that the residents squat illegally in apartment complexes in the area, and have been stealing water and power from an Electricity Authority of Cyprus (EAC) substation, which has been put under guard by police.
The protest march started in the streets of Chloraka around 7 pm. Around 100 people walked shouting chants such as “We are humans, not animals.”
Around 10 pm, some demonstrators moved towards the EAC substation to restore the electricity supply which prompted the police to intervene.
Then, it is reported that some protesters threw stones at the officers, damaging a police car’s windshield, while authorities used tear gas to disperse the crowd.
After the incident, Chloraka’s community leader, Nicolas Liasidis, called on the state to intervene to “remove” the migrants who, as he said, live “illegally” in housing complexes in the community “and steal electricity and water.”
He also warned that local residents are ready to step in and respond with “similar actions as the ones that the illegal migrants are seen doing.”
