Turkish Cypriot farmers on Wednesday smashed the gate of the north’s ‘transport ministry’ building, marking the second gate to be destroyed in as many days. This act of defiance is part of a broader protest that has now entered its third day, with the initial spark being the ‘government’s’ decision to import meat from the Netherlands and the low prices offered for products such as raw milk and livestock, despite rising production costs.
Escalating Protests
In addition to smashing the gate, farmers also burned tyres and bales of hay outside the ‘ministry’ building. The scene was further intensified by the severed heads of various farm animals left on the ground in front of it. The farmers chose this location after ‘minister’ Erhan Arikli declared that the ‘government’ would “not take a single step back” from its current position.
Arikli’s comments on Ada TV were resolute: “No matter how long they continue, the government has no chance of taking a step back on this issue. If they think this government is going to take a step back when three or five people come and break down gates in the name of livestock farmers, they are wrong.” He further criticized the farmers’ actions, saying their behavior had “closed the avenues of dialogue.”
Arikli also seemed to insinuate hypocrisy on the part of the farmers, referencing their “tractors worth three or five million liras” – between €86,000 and €143,000 – and advised them, “if you cannot win, don’t do this job, brother.” He labeled their position as “illogical” and pointed out that the ‘government’ had recently increased subsidies for lamb producers from 800TL (€22.92) to 1,100TL (€31.51) per animal. “They are still unsatisfied, and they want more. So long as this attitude continues, the imports will continue,” he stated.
Farmers’ Response
Speaking to journalists on Wednesday, Mustafa Naimogullari, chairman of the north’s animal producers’ and breeders’ union, questioned Arikli’s understanding of their plight. “How would [Arikli] know what sort of suffering these people are going through?” he asked. “Who are you to start acting so rude? We bought these tractors with hard work. You are a thief! Make a statement and do not criticize us for what we own,” he added, calling for Arikli’s resignation and urging people who vote for him to “think again.”
A total of nine people had been arrested on Monday and Tuesday. Naimogullari warned that demonstrators would “tear down all the walls” of the ‘prime minister’s’ office if they were not arrested. As tensions escalated on Tuesday, Naimogullari recounted a conversation with the police chief who refused to release the detainees. “I told him I would make the protests worse. He said he will make more arrests. This situation is going to get worse,” he concluded.
