Onasagoras
There was a big protest yesterday along Limassol’s seafront. Makes sense; our beaches are still (hopefully) among the few places left in Cyprus that we probably won’t manage to burn down… Though, with this country, you can never be too sure.
July has now left the building, dragging behind it a string of black anniversaries. At this rate, we might soon need to double up the national mourning days...two tragedies per date. Fingers crossed that August treats us better. Personally, I’m welcoming the new month with a lesser-known Greek proverb: “A faded August, a stoned April.” What does it mean? Who knows? Sounds about right, though.
Now, the first eyewitness to the recent wildfire swears that if the authorities had coordinated quicker, the whole thing could’ve been dealt with before it even made the news. The initial blaze, he said, could’ve been put out “with two or three buckets of water.” Ah well, who cares, right? There’s always money. And water, plenty of it coming our way eventually, once all the desalination units finally start working. Let’s pray that happens before summer ends so we can at least shower guilt-free. Maybe even wash the car we’ve been avoiding since May. Right now, some of our dams look like moon craters.
Meanwhile, just before the Hunters’ Party announced their support for Nikos Christodoulides in the presidential race, the Anastasiades cabinet approved a generous €80,000+ grant in their direction. A move that many question as… let’s say, legally ‘iffy’. The timing of the handout and the events that followed got quite a few people raising eyebrows, and conspiracy theories started flying faster than wildfire embers.
But surely not, right? Surely we’ve just become overly suspicious in this country. A country with no corruption whatsoever. A land once called the Island of Saints.
As for me, I would never assume anything shady. After all, our dear Nikaros made it very clear he was supporting Averof, Averof and nobody else. Averof and dry bread, as the saying goes. Or maybe some canned meat, if you ask Tryfonides. Perhaps Nikaros just forgot to explain his preference to the hunters, and the ungrateful lot, once they cashed their check, decided to go hunt their luck elsewhere.
Now, let’s talk about the attempted murder everyone’s whispering about. Social media and certain news outlets suggest it may somehow be tied to the raid at Avvakoum Monastery. Pure rumor at this point, no confirmation. Still, I can’t help but recall those surreal scenes of hooded men roaming the monastery courtyard, scaring the monks and reportedly looking for safes. Holy vaults, Batman.
So… what happened to that story, exactly? Who were the people under the hoods, pulling that stunt right in front of a former police chief and a party leader? What “public interest” reasons buried yet another scandal? And will we ever see those masked faces under the light of day? If so, will it be before or after the next elections?
Unanswered calls. Ruthless questions. And black hoods… everywhere.
*This op-ed was translated from its Greek original
