(Nicosia) If you didn't know, Cyprus is undergoing something of a banking crisis, and under orders from the EU has decided to tax everybody with savings inside a Cypriot bank account in which to ensure that everybody pays. Of course, naturally, the people aren't happy, and in order to ensure that everybody pays, the Cypriot government has ordered all banks to close (including electronic banking) until they receive their pint of blood. Well, the banks reopened in Cyprus yesterday and as you can imagine there were huge queues as people lined up in which to place their money into something the EU can't get its hands on. Outside one such bank in the Cypriot capital a man unfurled a Turkish flag and - surprise, surprise - he was lynched by the locals. It seems that the occupants of the last divided city on the planet (Nicosia is still a divided city, with the Northern half still under Turkish occupation) don't take kindly to being reminded of just why half of their city is out off bounds to them.
Anyway, it transpires as well as getting a good kicking (the police saved his arse), the Turkish flag the man had unveiled was burnt. Get that, the Turkish flag was burnt. End of story. Nah, it seems the Turkish government has been offended and hase directed the Cypriot government to punish the people who did so.
Yup, it seems that the Turkish minister to the EU Egemen Bağış has called on the Greek Cypriot administration to give a clear reaction on a reported incident of desecration of the Turkish flag. In doing so he indicated that protection of the Turkish flag’s honor must be an issue also for Greek Cypriots, since Turkish Cypriots have been providing them with electricity and water when needed. Oh, I forgot to mention that he classed it as a conspiracy.
Isn't it rich that in every Islamic country going (including Turkey), burning the flag of everybody else (but usually the US, UK and Israel) is a popular pastime? But boy, they don't like it when somebody burns their flag.
Turkish government complains to Cyprus over burning of their flag
