Police probe burning of Greek flag in Pyla

A Greek flag that was hoisted at an elementary school in Pyla was reportedly stolen and set on fire this week, but the exact time of the incident in the bicommunal village was not fully clear.

Local media reported that unknown individuals on Thursday were believed to have stolen a Greek flag which was hoisted on the premises of the Greek elementary school in Pyla, with reports saying the flag was discovered elsewhere partially burned.

According to Greek Cypriot head of Pyla community, Simos Mitides, the incident was possibly carried out one day before EOKA celebrations in the south.

“We got information around noon regarding the burning of a Greek flag, which was possibly carried out by young Turkish Cypriots, on the evening of March 31,” Mitides said.

“These are the results of an improper policing in Pyla as only the United Nations can monitor the area inside the buffer zone,” Mitides added.

Local media said there were two similar incidents in the past, when unknown perpetrators had burned Turkish flags that were hoisted in the Turkish school of the bicommunal village.

“We never had an incident at this [Greek Cypriot] elementary school before, but there were 2-3 incidents at the Turkish Cypriot primary last year,” Mitides said.

This week’s incident was reported on April 1, a national holiday for Greek Cypriots marking the beginning of an armed struggle against British colonial rule to unite the island with Greece.

Last week a graffiti incident at a mosque in Limassol drew wide condemnation during another Greek holiday, when bicentennial celebrations on the island marked the start of the Greek revolt against the Ottoman Empire.