THE INDEPENDENT: For many businesses, the wealthy expat community is the lifeblood of their local economy
As the drama unfolded in the parliament building in Nicosia, thousands of protesters assembled in nearby Lena Stylianou Square to express their disgust at the situation Cyprus now finds itself in. Chanting “Troika get out!”, the demonstrators were kept several hundred metres from parliament by riot barriers and lines of police, while on the other side of the line dozens of news crews and journalists were reporting on what was taking place inside.
Amid the crowds Marina, a 44-year-old housewife, said she wanted Cyprus to avoid retracing Greece’s footsteps: “We want a referendum, the government must fall and allow us to decide on what we want.” Her friends agreed. “Look at what happened to our neighbour [Greece], we don’t want to become like them.”
Kostakis, a 60-year-old public servant, also roundly rejected European help. “We prefer to help our country by lending our money straight to the state. They can return it in a few years with interest – it beats becoming a colony of the Troika.” » | Nathalie Savaricas | Nicosia | Tuesday, March 19, 2013
