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Date:         Sun, 22 Nov 1992 17:03:21 +0000
Reply-To:     Theoharis Mihailidis <tm@DOC.IC.AC.UK>
From:         Theoharis Mihailidis <tm@DOC.IC.AC.UK>
Subject:      "To ela na deis" sto overseas fair tou Imperial, update
Comments: To: hellas@brownvm.brown.edu

Geia kai Xapa paides,
exoume synexeia sto "ela na deis" tis Tritis (pou'sai Kontaxaki:))) )
idou to arthro pou emfanistike prwtoselido ston Felix (efimerida tou IC)
tis Paraskeuis:
 Culture shock rumpus in JCR
The Junior Common Room (JCR) was closed early on Wednesday afternoon
after a disturbance involving the Turkish, Cypriot and Hellenic (Greek)
Societies.
    The commotion was apparently caused by a tourist poster displayed
on the Turkish Society stall for Overseas Week 1992, and a map and tourist
material on the same stall, which showed Northern Cyprus as the Turkish
Republic Of Northern Cyprus. Northern Cyprus has been a disputed territory
since it was invaded by Turkey in 1974, but it is not recognised by British
Government, or the United Nations.
    When a Cypriot Society member saw the poster he complained to Turkish
Society members manning the stand, and asked them to remove the poster. The
Turkish Society members refused to do so. The Cypriot Society member then
left, and returned with other members of the Cypriot and Hellenic Societies,
including executive members of both Societies. The group asked again for the
removal of the displays which they regarded as offensive. The Turkish Society
again declined. The crowd then acted in a manner described in an ICU written
statement as `aggressive'. Independent witnesses reported seeing various
objects being thrown at the Turkish stand. Rick Bilby, ICU Deputy President,
and Dominic Wilkinson ICU Honorary Secretary (Events), were called to the
JCR, along with executive members of the Overseas Committee (OSC) and members
of the College security.
     The Greeks and Cypriots were then asked to leave the JCR. They refused,
and began singing their national anthems. At this point the JCR was cleared,
and all the stands were shut down. The poster was later judged to contravene
ICU publicity rules (section 7, paragraph 4) which state that no material
may be displayed which could cause offence.
     The Turkish Society alleges that the previous day (Tuesday) the Hellenic
and Cypriot Societies had both displayed material which could be considered
offensive to the Turkish community, though it has been claimed that this
material was removed at the request of Turkish students. The Turkish Society
further claimed that they are continually oppressed by the Greeks and Cypriots,
and that the material was only being used to promote Turkish beliefs and
culture, the objectives of the Overseas Week. They added that their material
had no political content.
     The Cypriot and Hellenic Societies, in an interview with iCNN (Imperial
College News Network), stated that `Cyprus is an independent state; it has
nothing to do with Turkey, or Greece'. Members of these Societies then alleged
that Rick Bilby had threatened their Societies with closure if they did not
leave the JCR. Mr. Bilby is a member of the ICU Disciplinary Committee, which
 has
the power to refuse funding for any society after a consensus decision. When
 asked
if he was attempting to pre-empt the decision of the committee, Mr. Bilby would

neither confirm nor deny the accusation and insisted on replying via a printed
statement which failed to answer our question.
     Yen Yang Lim, chairman of the Overseas Students' Committee, later declined
to comment on the incident, and added that iCNN and Felix should not publish
details of the incident. When pressed further, he condemned the `anti-social'
behaviour of an unnamed group, and apologised to those whose efforts had been
disrupted.


Gia thn antigrafh Katerina ek Sussex
courtesy Theoharis's PC :)


YG1 Nasai kala Katerina pou kathises kai to egrapses olo auto to prama :)
YG2 Tin epomeni bdomada problepetai synexeia me arthra apo to Cypriot/Hellenic
    Societies epi tou thematos.
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