It's almost tragic, and at the same time true.
Fifty years after the invasion and occupation, Cyprus continues to be a divided island, with thousands of refugees, missing persons, occupied properties and a people living with an open wound.
And yet, in Europe, in institutional decision-making centers, Cyprus is often treated as a "detail" of history.
Everyone talks about international law, but no one defends it.
Everyone talks about stability, but they forget that in Cyprus there are
foreign troops on European soil.
Someone, finally, has to shout it out.
A young man who is not afraid to disrupt the "establishment"
This is what Phidias, the young MEP from Cyprus, is trying to do.
They mock him because he doesn't wear suits, because he enters the European Parliament in sweatshirts and sneakers, because he doesn't speak the language of politics, but the language of the people.
And you know what scares all these "serious" politicians?
That despite his appearance,
despite his age,
despite the fact that "it doesn't belong to the system"...
he does a better job than many who have been sitting there for decades.
🇨🇾 You don't need costumes to defend your homeland
Phidias is perhaps the only one who:
- speaks openly about the occupation
- He is not afraid to "bother" Turkey.
- is not afraid to call the problem by its name
- reminds everyone that Cyprus is occupied European territory
While many other "decent" politicians look elsewhere.
The shame is not that a young man enters Parliament wearing a sweatshirt.
The shame is that so many others come in wearing expensive suits and don't say a word about Cyprus.
Cyprus is not picturesque. It is an open wound.
The silence of so many years is not just inaction, it is complicity.
Every time Europe talks about rights, democracy, international law but does not demand the withdrawal of the occupying troops, Cyprus is betrayed again and again.
And that's why the voice of a young person, even a "disobedient one", is necessary.
Listen to him, before it's too late
He may not have the style of professional politicians.
He may not speak in diplomatic terms and ambiguities.
He may not be afraid to show indignation, to raise his voice, to demand answers.
But when he talks about Cyprus,
when he demands justice,
when he shouts for the occupied territories...
speaks for all of us.
For refugees.
For the villages that disappeared.
For the forgotten houses.
For the story that remains unjust.
And he does it without fear.
Doesn't that deserve respect?
Perhaps Phidias is exactly what the European Parliament needed:
a voice that owes nothing to anyone,
a voice that does not obey "protocol",
a voice that is not afraid to speak up for Cyprus when so many others remain silent.
If the "big ones" don't dare...
Let them leave room for young people who dare.
photo by Greek Radio FL
