DiEM25 joins mass demonstration against repressive legislation, with warning signs from Europe’s growing authoritarianism

DiEM25 in Cyprus co-organised and participated in the mass rally outside the Cyprus Parliament building on June 26, alongside other organisations and groups from the left and anarcho-autonomous space. The demonstration opposed the unacceptable bill promoted by the Christodoulides government and right-wing parties, which aims to restrict the right to protest.

Representing our movement, Vasilis Kafantaris stated the following:

“As DiEM25 in Cyprus, we raise our voices, together with the democratic political and social forces of the country, and demand the withdrawal of the authoritarian bill to silence protests, and which violates the inalienable right to protest.

Freedom of assembly gives a voice to those excluded from the media, those repressed at work, those living on the margins of society whose voices do not reach the lawmakers. From women’s liberation and climate justice to solidarity with Palestine, the struggle rarely begins in parliamentary chambers—it begins in the streets. The right to protest was won after centuries of struggle and is not a favour granted to us by the State. It is a fundamental right and is protected by the European Convention on Human Rights.

And what excuse do those in power give for this authoritarian turnaround?

The supposed maintenance of “public order” and the prevention of “riotous behaviour.”

But a demonstration that does not disturb anyone and goes unnoticed is just a stroll in the city. Restriction of protest in the name of order is a tactic of repression. If the right to protest is restricted today, tomorrow it may be banned altogether.

No invocation of public order should lead to the curtailment of constitutional freedoms.

This is a struggle that concerns the very essence of democracy itself. Already, in the wake of the pandemic, the executive bodies of the Cypriot state have shown excessive zeal in enforcing unconstitutional decrees, targeting the ‘Ως Δάμε’ movement (lit. ‘No Further’) and sending dozens of us to court.

Unfortunately, the EU has created a model of repression that is spreading rapidly. Today, it is targeting the movement for solidarity with Palestine. Tomorrow, their target will be the violent repression of mass strikes against austerity and war.

For DiEM25, the democratisation of Europe begins with the freedom of citizens to raise their voices: at work, in society, at the ballot box, and in the streets. In a time of growing inequality, climate collapse, rising far-right influence, and warmongering foreign policy, defence of the streets as a political space is more urgent than ever.

If we do not resist now, we risk waking up to a Europe where dissent is not merely marginalised, but subject to repression on a scale last seen in the dictatorships and coups d’état of 50 years ago.”

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