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A Turkish Cypriot social media figure has ignited a storm online after he was denied entry into the Republic-controlled areas of Cyprus, posting a fiery video accusing crossing point workers of racism and discrimination against Turkish Cypriots.
Cenk Hoca, who describes himself as an activist and content creator, shared a video earlier this week from the Ledra Street checkpoint, visibly upset and shouting about what he claimed was unfair treatment. But he didn’t stop there. He followed up with a new video on YouTube, this time taking aim at two women, one a checkpoint staffer, the other a bystander, accusing them of being “unbelievably racist” and “always causing problems for Turkish Cypriots crossing the border.”
He included a photo of the women in his video, accusing them of “hating Turks to the maximum extent.”
See the video below:
Reactions from Both Sides
His video has drawn strong reactions online, particularly from Turkish-speaking users, some of whom praised him for speaking out. Others, however, urged caution, some advising him to double-check whether his paperwork was in order or whether he’d fallen victim to an online system error. A few suggested he present official proof in English to strengthen his claims.
Some Turkish Cypriot commenters also used the incident to raise other grievances, such as the fact that children from mixed marriages often face difficulties obtaining Republic of Cyprus ID cards.
But pushback came from Greek Cypriots too. One commenter fired back, “If a Greek Cypriot had raised his voice like that in the occupied north, he’d be arrested immediately.”
Another accused Cenk of spreading misinformation and blowing the incident out of proportion saying, “I have Turkish Cypriot friends and we cross daily with no issues. You need the right documents. It’s not racism—it’s procedure.”
The commenter added that filming and publicly targeting low-level staff with accusations of racism, especially without solid evidence, is not activism, it's harassment.
