TRNC teachers unions o lit fires in front of ‘parliament’ building over ‘headscarf crisis’

Fires will be lit outside the TRNC’s ‘parliament’ building every weekday evening from Monday until April 28 in protest at the government’s ruling coalition’s decision to legalise the wearing of hijabs by children at public schools, Cyprus Turkish teachers’ trade union (Ktos) leader Burak Mavis said on Friday.

Mavis said the fires would be lit between 6pm and 9pm, and that the public would be invited to join teachers in front of the building, with “events” to be held.

These nightly fires, he said, will continue to be lit until April 28, the “deadline” trade unions have set the ruling coalition for the hijabs’ legalisation to be withdrawn.

“If there is no change by then, strikes and rallies will begin to be planned and announced,” he said.

Earlier, he had held a joint press conference with leading figures from the Cyprus Turkish secondary education teachers’ trade union (Ktoeos), in which a call to arms was issued for the next steps to be taken in protest at the hijabs’ legalisation.

There, he said the matter was “artificial” and that it had been pushed with the aim of dividing Turkish Cypriot society, while also accusing ‘education minister’ Nazim Cavusoglu of attempting to “intimidate” trade unions.

He also compared the imposition of the new rules regarding hijabs to recent goings on in Turkey.

“In Turkey, they brought darkness step by step. They are putting the opposition in jail. [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is one step ahead. He kills the ones he puts in jail. I hope the same scenarios do not happen in Turkey,” he said.

He then made reference to Thursday’s groundbreaking ceremony for the north’s new courthouse, saying, “the people are not on the government’s side, and that is why Turkey came and tried to support the government”.

“We will organise and succeed. We will stand against the darkness. Be prepared for surprises. We will expose this government. No one can stand against the people when the people are organised,” he said.