Forcing the government to end the persecution of art-educator Giorgos Gavriel is a victory for society

 

Statement by AKEL C.C. Spokesperson Giorgos Koukoumas

15 September 2021, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

After a whole year and following the uprising on the part of a large section of society, the government has terminated the persecution of Giorgos Gavriel, but at the same time it is obsessively insisting that he is guilty. That is to say, even now the government ruling forces do not comprehend their action of launching persecutions against Art. They merely admit that they are backtracking in the face of society’s outcry and counting communication costs.

In any case, forcing the government to end the persecution of Giorgos Gavriel represents a victory for society and for all of us who have reacted from the very first moment against this unprecedented undemocratic action by the government and its Minister. It is also a defeat for a profoundly reactionary government with conservative far-right obsessions that wants to take us back decades.

This development does not negate the fact that the Education Minister Mr. Prodromou remains at the helm of the Ministry of Education and Culture, something which is obviously the choice and responsibility of Mr. Anastasiades himself and the ruling DISY party.