May Day to Be Celebrated in Buffer Zone with Bi-communal Event

A press conference was held today at the Home for Cooperation in the buffer zone with the participation of various union and civil society representatives.

During the conference, a joint statement was delivered by Burak Maviş, Secretary General of the Cyprus Turkish Teachers' Union (KTÖS), and Sotirilla Haralambous, Secretary General of PEO.

On May 1, demonstrators from the south will gather at Eleftheria Square at 5:00 p.m. before proceeding to the buffer zone, where they will meet Turkish Cypriot unionists, civil society organisations, and other participants. Those joining from the north will meet at Kuğulu Park at 5:30 p.m. and proceed to the buffer zone to arrive by 6:30 p.m. The gathering will include speeches marking the occasion and artistic performances by İzel Seylani and Yorgos Kalogirou.

In his remarks, Burak Maviş underlined that during a period when action is being taken in defence of secularism and secular life, the flame of resistance in workers’ hearts will also be symbolically united at this joint event.

The joint statement noted that this year marks the 100th anniversary of May Day commemorations in Cyprus and emphasised the ongoing impact of the global capitalist crisis, rising living costs, and inflation on workers around the world.

The European Union was also criticised in the statement for favouring militarisation through increased military spending at the expense of health, education, and social welfare, which was described as a threat to world peace.

The statement reaffirmed the solidarity of Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot workers with the oppressed people of Palestine and condemned what it called Israel’s genocide. It also expressed support for the Palestinian people’s right to an independent state.

On the Cyprus issue, the statement denounced the continuing political stagnation and lack of dialogue, warning that this creates conditions for new impositions and deepens division. “We will never allow the partition of our homeland,” the statement declared, calling for the resumption of negotiations from where they left off in Crans-Montana.

“In a time when imperialist powers have plunged the world into bloodshed, fascism and nationalism are resurging, and pro-partition voices are growing louder, we raise our call for class solidarity and the joint struggle of Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot workers,” it concluded.