In 2011, a series of rallies and worker strikes were held by

Turkish Cypriots Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( or ; ) are so called ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots are mainly Sunni Muslims. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,000 Turkish settlers were given land onc ...

North Nicosia North Nicosia or Northern Nicosia ( ; ) refers to the largest settlement and the ''de facto'' capital of Northern Cyprus. It is the northern part of the divided city of Nicosia, and is governed by the Nicosia Turkish Municipality. , North Nicos ...

against Turkey's policies on

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. The first protest was held on 28 January 2011. After the hostile reactions of Turkish Prime Minister

Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (born 26 February 1954) is a Turkish politician who is the 12th and current president of Turkey since 2014. He previously served as the 25th prime minister of Turkey, prime minister from 2003 to 2014 as part of the Jus ...

and Turkish society, Turkish Cypriots organized a second and third rally on 2 March and 7 April 2011. The average turnout was 50,000–80,000, making these some of the largest demonstrations by Turkish Cypriots under the occupation. As of 2011,

Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a ''de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the Geography of Cyprus, island of Cyprus. It is List of states with limited recognition, recognis ...

had a population of approximately 290,000. Some protesters carried flags of the Republic of Cyprus and banners demanding the reunification of the island, and signs condemning economical, cultural, and social oppression of Turkish Cypriots by Turkey. During the final rally, unsuccessful attempts were made to hang the flag of the Republic of Cyprus on the Turkish embassy.

References

Cyprus dispute 2011 protests 2011 in Northern Cyprus 2010s in Cypriot politics Politics of Northern Cyprus {{NCyprus-stub

See also

References