Coronavirus: Cyprus police deploy tear gas at protest against border crossing closure
- 200 Greek Cypriots and 150 Turkish Cypriots gathered either side of the Ledra Street crossing in central Nicosia to demand the checkpoints be reopened
- Cypriot authorities closed four of the eight checkpoints on the line dividing the island last Saturday
Cyprus police sprayed tear gas on Saturday as several hundred people protested against the closure of crossings on the divided island’s ceasefire line over coronavirus fears.
Four officers were injured in the capital Nicosia during scuffles with demonstrators in which police made “limited use” of personal tear gas spray to control the crowd, a police spokesperson said.
Police said they made no arrests as an estimated 200 Greek Cypriots and 150 Turkish Cypriots gathered either side of the Ledra Street crossing in central Nicosia to demand the checkpoints be reopened.
Protesters from the northern Turkish Cypriot side tried to break through a cordon blocking the crossing point, police said.
The Mediterranean island is divided between the Republic of Cyprus – a European Union member state – and the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, recognised only by Ankara.
