Larnaca municipality has condemned a series of vandalism incidents targeting public monuments and cultural spaces in the city, including damage to the statue of Eoka hero Michalakis Parides and inside the Mesoyios artists’ park.

In the municipality’s statement issued on Tuesday, unknown individuals threw paint onto the statue of Parides, causing damage to what it described as “a memorial dedicated to a figure of historical significance”.

Separate incidents involved further damage within the park, where tiles were removed from a fountain installation following earlier vandalism to sculptures in the same area.

The municipality said the actions represent “an unacceptable insult to public property, cultural heritage and the collective memory of the city”, adding that the incidents are being treated as serious offences against public spaces and civic heritage.

Michalakis Parides was a member of the Eoka organisation during the anti-colonial struggle in Cyprus against British rule.

He held a leadership role within the Larnaca district network, Aris, and participated in guerrilla activity until his death in 1958 during a shootout with British soldiers in Vavla.

The municipality said it has launched procedures to investigate the vandalism cases and will submit a formal complaint to the police.

It called on members of the public to provide any information that may assist the investigation, stating that cooperation is important in identifying those responsible.