LOTAKI+ flags were also placed this year in lampshades in Cyprus, according to complaints from Accept Cyprus, which lists photos from Vergina and Kalo Horio of Larnaca. The organization requests through a post the intervention of the Police and condemns the incident.
In their post, Accept states that “The light of the Resurrection does not need fires of hatred. (photo 1: Vergina, Larnaca photo 2: Kalo Chorio, Larnaca). When they burn LGBTQI+ flags instead of “Jews” in the churchyards, we don’t have a custom; we have training in violence and fascism of the youth.”
It is also emphasized that it is not just about “kids fooling around” but about tomorrow’s voters, parents, police officers and teachers. “When today we applaud them, tomorrow we should not wonder about the politics of hate they will vote for. DEMOCRATICLY THEY WILL BE ELECTED,” adds Accept.
He then adds that “the Church, unions, parties and the State are not spectators in this. When they are silent, when they “don’t see” what is burning at the top of the lamprey, they send the message that some lives are worth less.”
The organization says it expects the Cyprus Police to implement the anti-racism and hate speech laws by immediately removing the flag. At the same time, he calls for the prevention of such phenomena “before they become a culture, through the sending of a CIRCULAR by the Police on the lambratzias, giving instructions to the local police stations to prevent/prohibit any form of restoration of flags or symbols of any group, political party or minority in the lambratzias”.
“Love is not pictures and candles inside, and burning flags outside. Love is to protect your neighbor as yourself – especially when they are LGBTI+, a refugee child, a woman, anyone becomes a target”, adds the organization emphasizing that “if faith or “tradition” does not fit these children, then the problem is not the children; it is faith and tradition”.
He finally states: “This year we are not silent. We photograph, we complain, we demand from the Police, the Ministry, the Church, parties and local authorities to put an end to lampratzes that become a school of hate. Because the real Easter is about defeating fear and bigotry – not burning people “by proxy”.
See images and Accept’s post: