Turkish Cypriots sang and danced calling for the Turkish army to go home
Under the title “Songs and dances for ‘Ayse return home’”, Turkish Cypriot daily Afrika newspaper (16.08.12) reports that the youth organizations of the New Cyprus Party (YKP), the United Cyprus Party (BKP), the Cypriot Youth Platform (KGP), the Feminist Atelier (FEMA) and independent young activists organized an anti-militarist peace operation concert at Sarayonu Square in the occupied part of Lefkosia on 14 August, the day on which the second stage of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus started. Bands from Turkey and the occupied area of Cyprus participated in the activity, to which messages were sent from Turkey’s Freedom and Democracy Party (ODP) and the European Bureau for Conscientious Objection.
According to the paper, hundreds of persons watched the activity during which slogans such as “The vacation ended, Ayse go home”, ‘Return home Ayse”, “End the occupations”. [Translator’s note: ‘Ayse’ was the code name used for the Turkish occupation army in 1974 by the then Turkish Foreign Minister Turan Gunes, who, in order to give the signal for the beginning of the second phase of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, said that “Ayse can go for vacation now”].
Referring to the same issue, Cenk Mutluyakali reports in his column in Turkish Cypriot daily Yeni Duzen newspaper (16.08.12) that two “peace activities” were held this year and that he chose to go to the concert of Turkish Bandista band. He says that while the people were “shouting” and singing, undercover “intelligence officers” were taking their pictures from the balcony of the “courts”.