An attack on the offices of Democratic Alignment (DIPA) in Limassol has been reported by party MP Marinos Cleanthous, who described the incident as an organised action by a group of individuals who recorded their acts on video and later made the footage public.
The party issued a statement following the incident, condemning the attack:
The Democratic Alignment unequivocally condemns the attack on the offices of the party’s District Committee in Limassol.
We unequivocally condemn the attack carried out against DIPA’s offices in Limassol.
We have already filed a formal complaint and expect the competent authorities to carry out their duties.
Any attempt to “rebrand” violence as so-called “cleansing” is dangerous and unacceptable.
Democracy is not blackmailed, intimidated, or silenced.
At moments like these, calm, composure and respect for institutions are required.
Political confrontation must take place through arguments and democratic dialogue, not through threats, attacks, or destruction.
In a written statement, party MP Cleanthous said the perpetrators framed the attack as “resistance in the name of purification”, stressing that such practices have no place in a democratic society.
“Unfortunately, these are harsh times, and some believe they can take the law into their own hands. But violence is not a solution,” the DIPA MP said.
He also called for calm and political dialogue, underlining that problems must be addressed through argument and debate rather than violence. What is needed, he said, are “positions, proposals and dialogue, not denial, suspicion and character assassination”.
A video has circulated online which shows the attackers breaking down the offices' door.
According to a post by the account 'Antifazone_cy' on instagram, the attackers, who call themselves the “Anarchist Fight Against Corruption” have allegedly announced the following:
"The so-called scandal refers to a series of concealed practices that serve nothing more than technocratic authoritarianism and capitalist interests. These practices are linked to senior political figures such as the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides; former energy minister Giorgos Lakkotrypis, a member of the co-governing party DIPA; and Charalambos Charalambous, Christodoulides’ former campaign manager and head of the Presidential Office, as well as to their relationships with foreign investors and local contractors.
During the presidency of Nicos Anastasiades, the political mentor of the current president, we saw the same method applied through the sale of so-called “golden passports” and other economic incentives, such as real estate transactions, which ultimately benefited local landowners and foreign investors, including international business figures tied to the central players of the imperialist chessboard, such as the United States, the Russian state and Israel.
In our view, Cypriot society must reject the entire system of power, and every system of power, as structurally corrupt. If society does not stop being bought off and silenced, such systems will continue to be built on its back and on the backs of migrant workers. Refusing to support political parties and refusing to participate in elections is one step. However, the most important step for society to begin breathing and to break free from the system of entanglement and cover-up is to begin self-organising and mobilising.
We believe that structures of self-organisation are needed for every need and at every level. Open popular assemblies for managing our cities, neighbourhoods and villages; grassroots unions; cooperative economic initiatives; and structures of education and protection against state power and other forms of authority”