Newsroom
The Ministry of Education in Cyprus is looking into a troubling report involving a group of Cypriot students and teachers on a school trip to Thessaloniki after an LGBTQ+ rights group claimed a homophobic incident took place over the weekend.
According to Thessaloniki Pride, a member of Greece’s Racist Violence Reporting Network, students and chaperones allegedly hurled homophobic and transphobic slurs at two individuals on Saturday morning in central Thessaloniki. Police were called to the scene, but the two victims, who reportedly tried to de-escalate the situation, chose not to press charges, at least for now.
In an open letter addressed to Education Minister Athena Michaelidou, the organization described the incident as a “verbal assault” motivated by the victims’ sexual orientation and gender expression.
The ministry responded quickly, with Director of Secondary Education Nicolas Yasumi confirming that an internal investigation is underway. “We were made aware of the letter immediately,” Yasumi told the Cyprus News Agency. “We are awaiting the return of the school group involved and have asked for a detailed factual report.”
Yasumi added that he had already spoken with the school delegation and expects the official report to be submitted upon their return to Cyprus on Monday.
The incident has sparked concern not only about the students' behavior abroad but also about the response, or lack thereof, from the accompanying educators. LGBTQ+ organizations are calling for accountability and clear consequences if the allegations are confirmed.
This story is developing.
