Time to decide ‘what type of democracy we want’

Cyprus is at a critical juncture where we must decide what kind of democracy we want to live in and this will be determined by its citizens’ level of democratic literacy, University of Cyprus (UCy) professor of Comparative Politics, Antonis Ellinas said.

“Do we want a democracy of polarisation and hate speech or one with respect for human rights?” Ellinas, whose interests include the EU-wide phenomenon of the spread of far-right movements, asked on CyBC’s morning programme on Wednesday.

The professor was responding to the recent incidents of violence by far-right instigators targeting Syrians and other foreign-looking nationals in Chlorakas and Limassol.

His comments also come on the heels of a group calling itself ‘Mass Deportations Now’ cancelling a planned ‘anti-migration’ demonstration, scheduled for Wednesday in Nicosia, amid organiser fears that their “message would be lost” following reports of far-right football clubs calling on their members to attend. Police have warned however that protests may take still place.

“In a pluralistic society all ideas must be heard, but the key is racist or intolerant views should not be legitimised, for example, by hosting their exponents on official media,” said Ellinas.

Asked to contemplate the position held by some ‘anti-migration’ supporters that the uncontrolled and ‘weaponised’ influx of migrants by Turkey through the north amounts to a “third invasion” (after colonialism and the invasion of 1974) Ellinas pointed out that the comparison is flawed.

“Equating the influx of migrants with the invasion, and appropriating that language and framework, is an insult to those who suffered the island’s takeover by Turkish troops and lost loved ones and their homes. The two are not at all comparable,” Ellinas said.

“For the first time in decades we are experiencing a resurgence of political violence through oversimplification,” the professor added.

He noted that in Cyprus it is well-known that football fans are politicised and segments of certain clubs are far-right hotbeds, with supporters displaying the emblems and slogans of their politics openly on the stands.

“Their presence at anti-occupation rallies over the past few years with clashes between groups have been noticeable, the most recent occurring in 2017,” Ellinas said.

How directly these clubs are involved in the latest incidents is a matter to be assessed and elaborated on by the authorities, he added.

The marriage of racism and football is not unique to Cyprus, Ellinas explained.

“Football, as the most popular sport, has been used as a political platform to spread racist messages,” and this has been of concern to various bodies associated with the sport.

A “balance” must be sought in a democracy, the professor said, in terms of ‘anti-migration’ groups voicing their opinions on social media and elsewhere.

Migration is a “composite problem” but ignorance of its nuances and dumbing down the issue fuel racist views the professor suggested, using as a case-in-point the fact that civic education for over ten years has been non-existent in the island’s schools.

“Most EU countries have a democratic literacy course built into their curriculums in primary and secondary education,” Ellinas said.

In Cyprus, however, due to a Supreme Court ruling in 2010 that civic education must only be taught by a trained sociologist, the lesson was scrapped.

“We are one of the very few countries in Europe providing zero education for our young people on topics such as the relationship between citizens and the state, and tolerance in a free democratic society,” Ellinas said.