The President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Anastasiadis, visited today the premises of the "DIAS" group, which was attacked by hooded men last night, where he had a meeting with the Management of the group.
Speaking to reporters at the end of the visit, President Anastasiadis said that "I feel disgusted, I feel shocked by what I witnessed, but even today with my presence here.
At the time when Turkey is invading Cyprus for the second time with the (illegal) visit of the Turkish President here, some brainless people tried to overthrow the state.
I want to be absolute. I respect any peaceful protest. There will be no tolerance from the state for anyone who has the impression that he can bring us back to the pre-'74 situation.
I am absolute and I emphasize it, and my instructions to the Police will be similar, to all the competent bodies with which I have a meeting immediately after my visit to Sigma.
I want to express my sympathy to the police, miraculously we did not mourn the victims, since (the perpetrators) used weapons that throw flares and fortunately they did not hit them on the head.
But even in this situation. The turn against the freedom of the press gives the impression that some have more privileges than all others. And watching all the TV stations, I watch with how much reverence and objectivity - many times the Government can be judged or criticized and unjustly. Freedom of expression is a right, but when the media, for the sake of the wider good, like all the Governments of the world, to follow a course of saving the health of the life of the local economy, receive similar attacks from anti-authoritarians, they will not be tolerated . I say it, I repeat it and you will see it.
But I also want the help of the media, not just criticism against the Police. Where they have to intervene, they will intervene, I repeat, not in the peaceful expression of a different point of view.
There were a lot of rallies, there were not the phenomena of the fakes and a few months ago by themselves, by different groups. Illegality will not be allowed to prevail.
I want to say one more thing. We will support the band, because I understand the damage, the disasters are significant.
We will not accept the silencing of the Press, whatever it wants and as it wants, no matter how friendly or hostile it is with the Government. This is not how freedom is measured.
I want to express my sympathy to the Director of the foundation, especially to those who lived or experienced the lies, to the journalists and to say that we will be on the side of every media so that it can freely express any views, and we will be upright to those who think that they can repeat the lies ".
In a journalist remark that something went wrong yesterday, the President said that "a meeting is following and I will hear how things are and if something went wrong, it will be corrected."
Asked if he would give strict instructions, the President said "more than strict instructions. To be clear. "
In a journalist's remark that the protesters yesterday launched insults against the President himself, President Anastasiadis said that "I am not interested in insults, no one will be prosecuted either because he insulted or criticized me or because he is against the Government's decisions. Silence is not the goal. The goal is to fight the illegals, the anti-authoritarians who have the impression that they can overthrow the state at any time. That will not be tolerated. "