Shameful comments by Paralimni mayor Theodoros Pirillis, refugees from Ukraine are not welcome in Paralimni.
Countries bordering Ukraine are welcoming refugees and their pets with open arms, no ID no papers, free health care, free to work, stay of three years.
Who would the Mayor of Paralimni rather welcome, Russian oligarchs to launder their dirty money, drunk tourists?
War criminal Mafiosi thug Vladimir Putin has lost the war in Ukraine. He is now razing residential areas to the ground, leaving nothing but rubble and burning apartment blocks. Targeting schools, hospitals, kindergartens, a theatre clearly marked where children had sought shelter.
Are memories so short, were refugees fleeing occupied northern Cyprus in 1974 told they were not welcome because they may damage the tourist industry? Many of who now live in Paralimni and form the backbone of the local economy.
The Mayor demonstrates Cyprus village mentality, cannot see further than the end of his nose.
Refugees will one day return to Ukraine, rebuild their country, then maybe one day return for a holiday to thank the people of Cyprus who showed them kindness, gave them refuge and hospitality. On the other hand, treat them badly, treat as garbage to be dumped elsewhere, someone else problem, the word will quickly spread, never visit Cyprus, look how we were treated.
This evening on BBC Radio Four PM programme, a refugee from Ukraine saying she hoped one day she could welcome to Ukraine to thank people for their kindness.
Paralimni Mayor Theodoros Pirillis should retract his vile comments, issue an unreserved apology, then resign. He is a disgrace to his office, an embarrassment for Cyprus.
Note: It has been drawn to my attention Paralimni Mayor Theodoros Pirillis is not referring to refugees from Ukraine. But then we enter an odious discussion of good refugees v bad refugees, and it still does not bode well for refugees from Ukraine, at what point do they change from good to bad, especially if the criteria is the impact on tourism?
One of the islands in the Mediterranean impacted by refugees is Lampedusa 173 miles off the coast of Sicily. And yet refugees are made welcome, helped. Stanley Tucci makes the valid point, refugees make a positive contribution to the countries in which they land. [see Stanley Tucci: Searching for Italy]
I, as have many others, been moved by the reception refugees have been given, as they cross the border from Ukraine, people opening up their homes, some have already found work, their children a school place.
In the near future we are going to see many more refugees due to global warming and crop failure. Already we are seeing food riots in Sri Lanka as the price of wheat shoots up due to the war in Ukraine.
Mass tourism is a factor contributing to global warming. Cyprus will be hit badly, rising sea levels and storms will wash away the beaches, Larnaca will be flooded, high temperatures will make it impossible to exist out doors in the summer during the day. The last few years September and October has seen temperatures in the upper thirties.
Keithpp's Blog 