Perspectives of the Antifa Movement in Cyprus

The article examines two different leftist, Antifa actors in Cyprus, a political party and a societal group (i.e., an organized football fan group), in relation to two issues. First, we scrutinize their action repertoire in order to identify the type of activities they embrace to tackle the fascist/far-right threat and activity. Second, we study their perceptions regarding the extent of the fascist threat and the use of violence in their treatment of far-right organizations and activists. The article seeks to understand how antifascists in Cyprus understand resistance against far-right organizations, and violence in particular as one manifestation of this resistance. The methodology relied on fieldwork that combines two different methods: analysis of social media posts over a span of 11 years (2010-2021) and selected interviews with activists and cadres from the two actors. We find that they share similar perceptions about the extent and the nature of the fascist threat in Cyprus. They also share similarities with regard to the overall toolkit they use to deal with the far-right. However, they deviate significantly in the way they perceive the use of violence against fascists

Political parties and trade unions in Cyprus

The political parties in Cyprus are extremely powerful. They play a dominant role in the public as well as the private sphere, resulting in a civil society that is extremely weak. The article will address two issues. First, it will map the evolution of civil society organisations (CSOs), especially the trade unions, and their relationship with political parties. Trade unions are probably the most important and influential of the CSOs in Cyprus. Second, it will examine the relationship between political parties and trade unions in contemporary Cyprus, focusing on the changing context within which their interaction takes place, the strategies adopted by the two actors and the direction of influence between them. Research and analysis are based on interviews, surveys, party documents and other secondary literature

Report: Hate Speech, Behaviour and Crimes in Cyprus

Η παρούσα έκδοση αποτελεί μέρος ενός ευρύτερου 18-μηνου σχεδίου με θέμα την Αντιμετώπιση της Ρητορικής, Συμπεριφορών και Εγκλημάτων Μίσους στην Κύπρο (Confronting Hate Speech, Behaviour and Crimes in Cyprus) το οποίο ανέλαβε το Ινστιτούτο Ερευνών ΠΡΟΜΗΘΕΑΣ τον Απρίλιο του 2014 και συγχρηματοδοτείται από την Ισλανδία, το Λίχτενσταϊν και τη Νορβηγία μέσω του χρηματοδοτικού μηχανισμού EEA GRANTS και από την Κυπριακή Δημοκρατία. Στοχεύει σε μια, κατά το δυνατόν, ολοκληρωμένη έρευνα και καταγραφή της έκτασης του προβλήματος της ρητορικής, συμπεριφορών και εγκλημάτων μίσους στο κοινωνικό περιβάλλον της Κύπρου (στην ελληνική και την τουρκοκυπριακή κοινότητα). Η μελέτη οριοθετεί το ιστορικό, το σύγχρονο, καθώς και το νομικό πλαίσιο του ζητήματος, αξιοποιώντας δευτερογενή, αλλά και πρωτογενή στοιχεία. This publication is part of a larger 18-month project on Confronting Hate Speech, Behaviour and Crimes in Cyprus, which was assumed by the Promitheas Research Institute in April 2014 and was funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the financial mechanism of EEA GRANTS and by the Republic of Cyprus. It aims to present a well-rounded research investigation and to record the extent of the problem of hate speech, behaviors and crime in the social environment of Cyprus (in the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities). The study defines the historical, contemporary and legal framework of the issue, by utilizing secondary and primary data