New revelations aired on state television on Friday regarding recent organised neo-Nazi activity at Vergina High School in Larnaca with allegations that more than 100 pupils are actively involved and others have received extremist training abroad. Speaking on CyBC, parent’s association president Loizos Constantinou claimed a ‘structured group’ has been operating for ‘at least two years’ at Vergina, creating what he described as ‘a climate of intimidation’ for other pupils. He said the scale and organisation of the group go far beyond childish provocation or ignorance. “The number of the group is in the three digits,” Constantinou said, suggesting that specific students had travelled to Greece, to a particular location linked to extremist networks. “This means there is a centre recruiting from outside Cyprus,” he warned. Konstantinou said he had information on a group of pupils who travelled recently to Greece to make direct contact with extremist groups. (…) Constantinou lambasted the ‘sheer negligence’ of the school authorities, particularly the failure to remove fascist symbols emblazoned on campus. He said swastikas were left on walls for two or three months, suggesting a message of remarkable tolerance or indifference. “When you enter a school and see slogans and symbols like that, it is like entering a neo-Nazi stronghold,” he said. “The simplest thing would have been for them to disappear the next day, in a matter of minutes.” He added that the school knew which pupils were involved and could have identified those responsible quickly, including those appearing in photographs and those coordinating the activity. “You do not need many people to cause damage,” he said. “The mass is affected.” According to Constantinou, the group has been expanding steadily over the past two years, and the education ministry holds additional evidence.
via cyprus-mail: Parents’ head alleges over 100 pupils in Larnaca linked to neo-Nazi group Cyprus
siehe auch: Cyprus police probe after high school students post Nazi images online Authorities scramble to identify students promoting hate as Education Ministry steps in. Authorities are moving swiftly after photos circulated online showing a group of Larnaca high school students giving Nazi salutes, drawing swastikas, and sharing extremist ideology. While the Education Ministry and the school are handling the matter internally, the cybercrime unit has launched its own investigation to trace the social media account that posted the content. Identifying the students is proving tricky, as some faces were obscured in the images. School officials are reportedly preparing disciplinary measures for those involved. The principal is expected to impose penalties aimed at addressing both the actions and the wider influence these students may have tried to exert on classmates; Over 100 youths in Larnaca “Nazi organisation” travelled to Greece for training, parents’ head warns More than 100 young people from Larnaca belong to a “Nazi organisation” that has sent members to Greece for training with extremist groups, the head of Cyprus’s parents’ confederation warned on Friday. Loizos Konstantinou, president of the Confederation of Secondary Education Parents’ Associations, said a fascist cell of pupils at Vergina Lyceum has operated for two years, creating what he called a “climate of terrorism” amongst other pupils whilst school authorities left swastikas on walls for months. “The number of the group is in the three digits,” Konstantinou told state television, revealing that students “visited Greece, they didn’t go on holiday, they went to a specific place. So it means there is a centre outside Cyprus.” The disclosure escalates a controversy over students photographed giving Nazi salutes, allegedly proselytising others to their organisation, and vandalising the school with swastikas. (…) Konstantinou accused the school of negligence. “When you see the swastika on the school wall and leave it there for two, three months. What is that? The simplest thing the next day should have disappeared in a few minutes.” He said students entering the school saw slogans, describing it as looking “like you’re entering the neo-Nazi lair”. The school knew which children were involved and could easily provide details in minutes, he said. The group has been expanding over the past two years, with the Ministry holding further evidence. “We have become very concerned. For this reason we contacted the Ministry and procedures are proceeding with investigations and today there will be further development,” Konstantinou said.