House president Annita Demetriou on Monday reacted to online criticism of the rendition of the Greek national anthem at Saturday’s basketball match between the national teams of Greece and Cyprus in Limassol by saying “for God’s sake, what bothered them?”

“This is who we are. We are the Greeks of Cyprus. This reminds me of previous unpleasant incidents which had to do with questioning our heroes. We will not accept anyone who tries to tarnish the national memories, the national conscience. This stuff does not help our country,” she said on Sigma TV.

“This is how it is and this is how we must ensure that it will be. Let us keep the positive moments and wish good luck to Cyprus and Greece.”

She then added that “safeguarding Cypriot Hellenism is a big deal”, and that “you do not achieve this by questioning our history, our heroes”.

This criticism, she said, “is being done on purpose” and with “political motives to alter history and impose a so-called modern approach”.

“We disagree. If anything can keep us going in difficult times and ensure our future, it is to be firm in our principles and values … All we should be interested in is the Turkification of our occupied territories, what Turkey is doing to our five fellow citizens, in our seas,” she said.

Footage of the rendition of the anthem at the Spyros Kyprianou arena in Limassol, with dimmed lights and a live singer, caused concern in some quarters, with former European commissioner and former first lady Androulla Vassiliou the most high-profile dissenter.

“Tomorrow, when [Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin] Tatar uses this as an example of our intolerance, we will rush to patch things up. Or do we think that the nationalistic outbursts stay between us?” she said.

Meanwhile, others on social media decried the scene, with one prominent social media user writing that “the revival of 1960s nationalism is the cigarette butt of the Cyprus problem” and that “the worst is yet to come”.

Another replied to a post of a video of the anthem’s rendition by government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis, writing that “the current government spokesman belongs to a party which in the past had said that Turkish Cypriots should be weaned off Turkey”.

Further references to the Cyprus problem were made by others, with one asking, “is this how you will go to the talks to support the Republic of Cyprus, playing the Greek national anthem, which, for the other side, is a red flag and gives them their argument to promote partition?”

“When will we finally learn what political consequences mean?”  the user asked.