Syrian man’s hearing over Chlorakas incidents to resume on Friday

A 47-year-old Syrian national facing charges for threats during the Chlorakas fracas was cleared of all charges for a separate case of theft on Monday.

During the hearing at Paphos court, a letter from the attorney general was submitted saying charges the man faced related to theft could not be substantiated and therefore all charges were dropped.

He had plead not guilty during a previous hearing.

In relation to the second case where he is accused of instigating violence, court will hear the case on Friday. The man had been caught on camera saying he would upturn Chlorakas village if police did nothing to protect people, primarily of Middle Eastern background, who were violently attacked by extremists in a racist rampage.

He later said it was a comment made in the heat of the moment as he was shocked by the violence the Syrian community experienced while police was accused of doing nothing. His lawyer said he had apologised for the statements and also said family members of the 47-year-old had also been beaten during the attack.

Earlier this year, Syrian nationals were targeted by extremists who went on a violent spree in Chlorakas beating Middle Eastern people and smashing their businesses. The violence then spread to Limassol where another far-right protest led to people getting assaulted in the streets as police stood by and did nothing while thugs set the city centre on fire and destroyed Middle Eastern businesses.