The protests held earlier on Monday by employees of the Cypriot Electricity Authority outside the Cypriot parliament escalated after the protestors broke the security zone around the parliamentary building, trying to get access to the inside. During the attack, the demonstrators broke the windows of the side entry doors, while beating against doors with wooden sticks and other objects.
The Cypriot police guarding the parliament reinforced its troops and sealed off access to the building, forcing everyone in the building to remain where they were. The Attorney General of Cyprus was also summoned to the scene, but couldn’t get access to the building.
In an effort to stem the outburst of violence, the police threw crackers and tear gas. In retaliation, protestors switched off the power to the building, resulting in people being trapped in elevators, while preventing the janitor from reaching the generator, so as to the restore power. Eventually, the power was restored.
The episodes led to the injury of one protester who was transferred to Nicosia General Hospital.
Earlier in the day, hundreds of workers employed by the Cypriot Electricity Authority gathered around the parliament so as to protest against the imposition of new austerity measures that would cause further instability in the Cypriot economy and society, as well as the imminent privatization of the electricity supplier of Cyprus. The workers booed the MP’s and shouted that they were “sold-out” and accused them of pursuing anti-Cypriot agendas.
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