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Hello ATCA Subscribers,

I'd like to draw to your attention the racist chants made in Greek by the supporters of Greek Cypriot Tennis player Marcos Baghdatis at the Australian Open.

The chants have been ongoing since the first tennis game Baghdatis played in this years 2006 tournament.

The chants include offensive remarks such as - 'Exo i Tourki apo Kipro' meaning Turks Out Of Cyprus.

These chants are calling for all Turks to be expelled from Cyprus and are made in an international sporting arena that has nothing to do with politics. This truely is unnecessary.

Please take the time to write an email to -

ausopen@tennisaustralia.com.au

and express your concern on what is being said.

Please send this email to your friends and put an end to this racisism.

Thankyou.

If there are any Turkish Cypriots in Melbourne attending this final, why don't they bring along the Turkish Cypriot flag and fly it every time Baghdatis score a winning point ?

Now this would be an interesting reaction and great attention to the existence of Turkish Cypriots in Cyprus !

North Cyprus Turkish Youth Club of Victoria President Serkan Hussein has
been interviewed by Australia's leading Newspaper "The Herald Sun" in
response to the racist remarks that have been been chanted at the
Australian Open Tennis.

The article can be found in "The Sunday Herald Sun" dated 29th January
2006 on Page 4.

I think this is correct - the chant 'Exo oi Tourkoi, apo thn Kypro' refers to Turkish troops but i think that currently, the Turkish cypriots and foreign nationals in the north wouldn't disagreee with 'Turks out of cyprus'.

However, i disagree with the 'Enosis' chants that i overheard - i think this was chanted by Greek Aussies who wanted to support their Cypriot brother but were too uneducated to know what Enosis really meant. I know the Cypriots watching in the arena, although appreciating the Greek aupport, were slightly embarassed and dismayed with the 'Enosis' chants, because they know what this 'concept' meant for their families and their homeland. I think it is understood by Cypriots and educated Greeks that this 'Enosis' idea is as extinct as the Constaninople dream. Unfortumately, some Greek supporters were incogniscant of the meaning of 'Enosis' and it's totally inappropriate use of the slogan in any sporting arena.

I don't think you'll find a single Cypriot who expresses any wish for Enosis - they are proud of their hellenic roots but also proud of their independent, European, Republic of cyprus - they have their own identity and don't feel the need for any 'union' with Greece.

As for the chant 'Turks out of cyprus', as i said, it has been confused with wishing Turkish people out Cyprus - this confusion may be interesting for a Freudian, since i think this false meaning may have some substance: I don't think the Turkish settlers outnumbering TCs in the north is a healthy state of affairs for anyone, TCs, GCs, Brits or Germans...

Hi Aristotelis and Welcome

I take my hat off to you for acknowledging both sides of the coin.

Both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots should be able to openly be proud of their Hellenic and Turkic roots without being judged. Although I'm sure that most people can appreciate that such inappropriate chants at the Australian Open would make many Turkish Cypriots uneasy regardless of interpretation.

Your comments are appreciated.

Regards
Kibrisli

Thanks for the welcome Kibrisli

"such inappropriate chants at the Australian Open would make many Turkish Cypriots uneasy regardless of interpretation"

That's why you would never hear any Cypriot chanting those slogans today. Believe me, the Cypriots present in the arena or watching on TV also felt uneasy when the ill-educated Greek Aussie prats started chanting this rubbish. The only reason paghdatis didn't dissuade them from chanting is because he feared he would seem ungrateful for their support.
The only people who chant them are morons who have no understanding of what the Enosis movement means - and i hope the perpetrators of this movement, Grivas, Samson etc burn in hell. I also wish the same fate on the manipulating Brits, Yanks, junta-Greeks and taksim-Turks for the division of Cyprus.

I do believe that many GC's truly would have felt unease at these chants too. Unfortunately the "Kalamara" seem to think that they were doing GC's a favour.

I must say though that as a TC I was quite excited to see a another Cypriot get so far. I was barracking for Baghdatis although the crowds political statements dampened my excitement a little. I'm sure many TC's felt the same way too.

Regardless, Baghdatis' performance was an honourable one

Thanks for the kind words Kibrisli.

I hope the same for Turkey when playing sports (unless it's against Greece ) I wished one of us went to the World Cup to represent the Mediterranean

Here's an article which is relevant to the conversation Kibrisli and myself had about political chants.....

I thought it was interesting:

Why Marcos matters: the importance of being Cypriot
By Constantine Markides

THE LAST half of January may prove to have been the most significant period in terms of the ‘Cyprus Problem’ since the 2004 referendum. Not because of any ‘renewed talks’ (lavish luncheons for the pampered) between bureaucrats on each side of the Green Line; nor because of any new initiatives or interventions from the US, UK or UN; but because an unseeded 20-year old Cypriot tennis player named Marcos Baghdatis advanced to the Australian Open Finals.

It may seem implausible that the affable 20-year old Baghdatis, who has the facial malleability and expressiveness of a stand-up comic, who chastises himself after bad shots with haunted heavenward gazes and who routinely dives after impossible balls, has much to do with the Cyprus Problem – that decades-long bog of barbed wire and army camps, displaced properties and security fears.

But he does. Though the military occupation of the north is the outward symptom of the Cyprus Problem, the underlying disease is an identity crisis: Cyprus suffers from a dearth of Cypriot pride and an excess of Greek and Turkish nationalism.

The bulk of the violence Cyprus has experienced in recent history is rooted in an insecurity complex (akin to the Napoleonic one) fomented by devout generals and halitotic parliamentarians. The only true Cypriot is the donkey, to use the words of former Turkish Cypriot strongman Rauf Denktash, and so it follows that the supreme ecstasy in this mortal coil is to be diffused into the great motherland of Greece or Turkey, depending on which side of the Green Line you fall.

For decades Cypriots have faithfully obeyed their BMW-driving shepherds by waving the foreign flags, parroting the tedious slogans being spray painted onto crumbling walls for the past half century, and of course gingerly avoiding any associations with the word ‘Cypriot’ so as not to be frowned upon.

Now enter young Baghdatis. Open a late January 2006 Cypriot newspaper and you will read something like: “Hero Baghdatis has achieved what no Cypriot has ever achieved before!”. They are referring, of course, to his riveting Aussie Finals advance in which he usurped three of the world’s top-ten ranked players along the way.

But he is also heroic for another equally titanic achievement: Baghdatis speaks of his love for his home country, Cyprus, without then qualifying that love by subsuming it within a mother nation. It is rare to find Cyprus-pride. The more common sentiment is reflected by the decision last month of ‘Cypriot’ singer Anna Vissi to represent Greece instead of Cyprus at the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest.

His love of Cyprus is no recent phenomenon. Four years ago, when 16-year old Baghdatis won the Junior US Open Semifinals, delighted fans tossed Greek flags down onto the court at his feet. But Baghdatis instead went to the stands, took a Cyprus flag from a fan and, draping it around himself, began jogging around the court.

He later turned down a request to play for the French tennis federation and another to play for Greece during the Athens Olympics out of loyalty to Cyprus. And when he could no longer wear the Cyprus flag on the front of his shirt due to a new Adidas sponsorship, he made sure that the shirt he wore was always in the white and orange-gold colours of the Cyprus flag.
Those who live outside of Cyprus for a period, or those who migrate to Cyprus, often feel more Cypriot-in-the-bones than many of those who grew up on the island, a strange fact that may indicate the thoroughness with which Greek and Turkish nationalism engulf the island. Baghdatis’ father moved from Lebanon to Cyprus in 1973 to work at a cement factory – later marrying a Greek Cypriot and being christened Christos – his son Marcos left Cyprus when he was 14 to train at a tennis academy in France.

Baghdatis created a furore in the tennis world after he knocked out world number three Andy Roddick from the Australian Open (it didn’t miss the media’s attention that with the Iraq war still on, an unseeded player named “Baghdatis” beat the top US player). Suddenly the words “Cypriot” and “Cyprus” were on the back page of newspapers all over the world and “flamboyant Baghdatis” as they refer to him was being broadcasted on televisions the world round.

With such press, perhaps Cypriots will no longer have to gently explain that, no, Cyprus bears no relation to the tree or to the Florida theme park.

But to catapult into tennis headlines Baghdatis had to defy plenty of other odds; he is one of those rare tennis players who rose, not only out of tennis backwater Cyprus, but also from a working-class background. Even after winning the world juniors title, he received practically no help from the government for his huge tennis academy debts. Their only award for him was a mandatory military term that would interrupt his tennis career. The government granted him a postponement only after the Cyprus Mail and Politis made an issue it.

Despite the lack of help, Baghdatis continued to wear his Cyprus colours and wave his Cyprus flag. Maybe he held no grudges against the Cyprus government, or maybe, unlike many of his fellow citizens, he can make the distinction between the state and the country, the bureaucrats and the populace.
When Baghdatis gave his runner-up speech after he lost the fourth and final set in the finals to world number one Roger Federer, Baghdatis said that he wanted to thank everyone in Cyprus who was watching him. He did not make a distinction as to what kind of Cypriots they were.
This seemingly minor point is important. There are Turkish Cypriots who wept when Baghdatis lost to Federer precisely because of his staunch Cypriotness. Baghdatis matters precisely because, in an island in which ethnic fervour has paved the way for troops and real estate developers to muscle their way about, we need more smiling proud Cypriots.

Baghdatis’ success may also help to break the stranglehold that parties currently yield over athletics, since unlike the football teams in Cyprus, there is no party affiliation with tennis players.

It would be a mistake to think that Baghdatis snubs Greece. Baghdatis has his blue-and-white Hellas fan club that attend his matches and infuriate his opponents with their football-style rowdiness, which include both weird chants like “Hey Marcos, you’re crazy, you’re crazy with your white t-shirt” and more political chants like “Greece OLE Cyprus OLE Enosis OLE Enosis OLE Enosis OLE.”

Baghdatis loves his entourage and reciprocates their support with free tickets, but that does not mean he shares the politics of every chant. Of course, there is a kinship between Greek Cypriots and Greeks, just as there is between Turkish Cypriots and Turks (and between Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots for that matter), which has deep historical roots and can be seen in the language, culture, religion, etc. But though Baghdatis or any other Cypriot may clink beer mugs with his Greek friends and exult over Greece’s victory in the 2004 Euro, it does not mean that he must say he is a Greek first and second a Cypriot, or that ‘Greek Cypriot’ is just a synonym for ‘Greek’.

Nationalism is an ugly word and an even uglier thing, but Cyprus, which must surely be one of the most nationalistic places on earth, would not be harmed by a little more of it – just so long as it is not of the Turkish or Greek variety. A few more Cyprus Republic flags, a few more swellings of Cypriot pride, a few more patriotic ambassadors like Baghdatis and those massive knotted roots of the Cyprus Problem may finally begin to starve and shrivel.

Denktash is just one of many who would claim that the only true Cypriot is the donkey. But even if it were true, better a proud donkey than an ass trying to be a stallion.

For the complete essay, go to: www.fourthnight.org

This is a joke.....

I cannot believe that there are cypriots who are saying not one wants ENOSIS.

You are worse then Turks you Muslim Greeks.

CYPRUS WAS GREEK, CYPRUS IS GREEK AND CYPRUS WILL ALWAYS BE A PART OF GREECE.


As for that article what a joke.....Marcos happy about his "cypriot" pride?? If you cared to watch the Australian Open you would have seen his family where wearing t-shirts with a baby picture of Marcos with the GREEK FLAG on top of his head with Champion Then, Champion Now.

Also if you where a true cypriot you would know that Marcos follows Apollon FC in Cyprus....a pro-ENOSIS club like Apoel and Anorthosis.

These fans REFUSE to hold the Cypriot flag as it isnt there flag....the Greek flag is.

Malaka....profoti.....roufiano

As for the chant...ellas kypros enosis stays....WE WANT TO BE ONE AND OUR DREAM WILL COME TRUE ONE DAY

As for Exo H Tourki Apo Tin Kypro....its for the turkish troops...we dont care about you people

And also idiot....

We had a BBQ with Marcos Baghdatis and he was chanting ENOSIS and he wants ENOSIS with ellada....

something you left wing communist muslim greeks need to learn.

You communists are worse then the people from over the border....

ELLAS KYPROS ENOSIS

Idiot?
Who are you referring to?
You couldn't possibly be one of those whining Orthodox Turks could you?
Shame on you!

Just been reading what people have been saying...interesting remarks.

Hey besides the chants > did any of you guys see the flag that the greek supporters were holding in the crowd. it was a Greek National flag around 8 foot wide , that had slogans written across the stripes. Some of the slogans read ' SMIRNI IS GREEK, MACEDONIA IS GREEK , CYPRUS IS GREEK , CONSTANTINOPLE IS GREEK ECT ECT...

A little embarassing i Reckon. these supporters are from a Greek soccer club in Melbourne , at the Australian open Tennis , supporting a player who is Half cypriot and half Lebanese and lives in France.

What do you expect, when Greeks feel safe in number's the mask drops and they let their true feeling's out, when their outnumbered or have equal numbers to Turks then its a different story, then we have what is called the "closet Racist@ syndrone where they pretend its all love while almost having a nervous breakdown in their brain realising they are actually talking and putting on an act of being a friend of a Turk.

I'm not suprised by these Racist Chants, its happened before, it will happen again, just more icing on the cake that living with these people is a ridiculous idea so why put each other through the hastle?

Greek Cypriot polls are saying that they want partition now, so could the die-hard pretence please end, stop comming here pretending your our best friend and that Turkiye is some sort of enemy because to be honest its total crap, you know it, I know it so lets just stop telling lies to one another.

There are Turks on Cyprus, there are Greeks, Greeks don't want to live under Turkish rule, Turks don't want to live under Greek rule, its a recipie for disaster, so we'll both have a separate state. In the long run we will bot benefit, as after a while the situation would have cooled down, relations will then normalise and the tension will ease.

Look at Turkiye and Greece today, if I told you that they could act civil to each other and engage in friendly relations without the childish antics you would have all laughed at me 10 years ago but now its a realitiy.

How have they managed to achieve this? well, Greece isn't claiming half of Turkey anymore and Turkey is claiming the North of Greece. Both have accepted that they both have a country, there is no need to be greedy and ruin relations because of this wanting of more land. As we all know, when there is tension both our people suffer, while Brussle's and their buddies in Europe clap there hands with joy and jubilation to see us fighting each other and moving backwards not forwards.

Now, its time for Greek Cypriots to accept that there will be no Enosis because the Turkish Army cannot be defeated by the Greek Army and any attempts of doing so will be like comitting suicide. They must accept Turks exist on Cyprus, have a right to live there and under their own rules in their state which they govern. And Greeks on Cyprus have exactly the same right!.

Then we can both accept each other's state's and progress.

You have got to be kidding me??? Turkish Army would defeat the Greek army??? You guys dont even have food to eat your going to defeat us.

Be careful my friend.....you have 30 Million Kurds just waiting and waiting to go to war with you.....in 10 years time 30 million kurds will have reached 50 Million cause they are breading like rabbits while your city inhabitants arnt even getting married anymore.

Greece needs a hard lined Ruler....not Karaman (lis) who has a Turkish Surname and is the best man of the Turkish Presidents Daughter. Greece and Turkey will never live together as friends no matter how long it will take. The hate we have for eachother is unquestionable and there will be a war between the 2 countries again my friend.

We need a ruler who will shoot down your planes as soon as they get into Greek waters, we need a ruler who wants ENOSIS with Cyprus.

First the Macedonian Issue, Then Epirus and then the Cyprus issue. If it wasnt for America and Britain Cyprus would have been 100% greek now. Every single turk would have been slaughtered on the island from EOKA fighters.

As for that Greek flag....go cry about it you barbarians. When your "Grey Wolves" go and kill innocent Greeks in Cyprus and beat them to death its OK but a flag which writes Costantinople is Greek does....thats a Turk For Ya.

If you have a picture of that flag you would read at the bottom it says TOURKOS KALOS MONO NEKROS = A GOOD TURK IS A DEAD TURK

As for Marcos Baghdatis....when the guy wears a Greek National Team top it says he is GREEK. There is no such thing as a Cypriot.....but a Cypriot-Greek and a Cypriot-Turk is what exists.

Whoever these pretenders are from the Greek side of Cyprus are....remember Makarios fought to keep HELLENISM in Cyprus....hence why the National Anthem is the Greek one, Hence why the language is Greek and they have the same holidays as Greece and same RELIGION.

"Whoever these pretenders are from the Greek side of Cyprus are....remember Makarios fought to keep HELLENISM in Cyprus....hence why the National Anthem is the Greek one, Hence why the language is Greek and they have the same holidays as Greece and same RELIGION."

interesting thought
If you had actually know anything about the cyprus issue you would know the truth.
Makarios's last interview with a danish newspaper he said
" I'm not happy with the way I have acted in some cases.It's in the name of enisos that cyprus is destroyed."

What do you think he meant by that?
For so many years he had a drean of being the leader of the hellenic empire, but he regreted his actions before he died.
interesting
Maybe it was his turkish roots ( he was half turkish/ half greek) that saw him sense
Or it could have been the attemted assassination on his life by the national guardsmen lead by nikos sampson that he realised he was betrayed.

What bothers me is that the greeks will never acknowledge thier part in the " cyprus problem" they always go on about the turkish intervention.
WHat about the 12 thousand national guardsmen that we shipped to the country in civillian clothing?
the attempted assination of Makarios?
this happened before the turkish intervention
or the war between ekoa A ( makarios supporters) and Ekoa B ( national guardsmen/ greek)on the 15th of july, 1974. 2000 greek and greek cypriots died. Turks weren't apart of this

During the turkish intervention on the 20th of july 1974,turkey secured the north in only a few hours, where was nikos sampson and his men. Oh that's right Nikos sampson can only fight people with no weapons but when it can to real fighting he fled the country.
These are the poeple you worship?

they cause the horror in cyprus for years for not only the turkish cypriots but to your own people aswell. I would suggest that you ask your leaders to reveal the truth to your people so they can be freed of the hate in their hearts

A quote from the Voice of blood,
" If we pass on the torch of hatred to future generations, our children will live and die like us. With the music of peace trapped in thier hearts."
a film by a greek cypriot who was banished from the south cause he wanted the greek cypriots to know the truth about what thier own people done to the turkish cypriots you should watch it.

It's interesting how the greek and greek cypriot community have so much hatred towards others. Even though the turkish cypriots are under embargoes, I have always believed that allah was watching over us, because we don't have this type of anger, hatred or revengful feelings towards any race. I haven't been thought racism by my parents"

I have never heard more bull**** in my life.

Makarios was a half greek/half turk??? hahahahahaaha get out of here

The reason why the turks got so much land so quickly is because of the weapons you had.....you where being supplied by the British and USA.

Greece was just out of a civil war which killed thousands and was ready to break free again any minute.

The Xounda was the worst thing for Greece.....military control was devastating the hellenes hence why so many left and migrated to other countries.

I understand that the Greeks started the war with you in Cyprus....but who cares??? How many wars and barbaric atrocities have your people committed?? Do you forget the Pontian Genocide??? Where 350,000 Greeks where slaughtered??? What about the Smyrnea disaster??? And Asia Minor??

What do you expect from barbarian races like the Grey Wolves....was it a good thing to kill a innocent greek protester on the opposite side?? Barbarians you are

Why dont you mention the facts Turkey emptied out there jails to populate Northern Cyprus???? Or where raping and beheading our people??

You talk about Allah protecting you??? Watch how much your ALLAH will protect you when us and the Kurds finally destroy you

LOOOL

Jeez are you people for real?

[i]HellasFanClub
You have got to be kidding me??? Turkish Army would defeat the Greek army??? You guys dont even have food to eat your going to defeat us.[/i]

Are they the stories your dady tells you, listen I won't even bother with such a ridiculous debate.

Greek Army is a disgrace and deep down in your heart you know the Turkish Army would wipe the floor with you, just look at Cyprus lol, Greeks were giving it the big talk saying we would have a war for years bla bla bla, in a few weeks we obliterated your army.

Greek army is among the weakest in the world, you guys just don't have that brave-heart, what can I say, your all talk but no actions

[i]Hellas
Be careful my friend.....you have 30 Million Kurds just waiting and waiting to go to war with you.....in 10 years time 30 million kurds will have reached 50 Million[/i]

Wow, we';ve got a Millitary and Demographic Expert.

Would you like to proove your paranoid accusations? 30 million is funny to start with but then to claim that populations can jump to 50 million in 10 years is just hilarious.

How many Kurdish speaking, Kurdish feeling Kurds are there huh, beside's there is 120 million Turks in this region alone, 40-50 million Azerbaycan-Iran, 1 million Bulgaria, further million in Balkans few million across Irak and Syria over 60 million in Turkey lol, and were growing in GREECE man, breeding like Rabbits in Bati Trakya - Garbi Trakya, which will soon succeed to Turkey thanks to Karaman-lis.

Karamanlis is our undercover Turk doing his work in Greece, great job dontcha think.

There will be no Hardline Greek polliticians, because Karaman and the gang rule now, beside's you don't have the guts these days.

Another reason Greece is kissing Turkey's ass is because Greece has big demographic issues.


And Oh MrPOPO, lets not forget Greece has 1 million Albanians, god knows how many Macedonians and 250,000 Turks.

Now lets take a look at Greece a bit closer shall we.

Hmm

Whats this

http://www.abttf.org/html/index.php?l=en&session=9a6f2af598b4900e4514e72d91558233

http://www.westtrakien.com/batitrakya/index.html

http://www.batitrakya.net/news/

Whats all this I wonder, what a lovely Map BATI TRAKYA is and what a lovely FLAG.

Lets delve deeper into the Greece its getting interesting.


On the same Bati Trakya site above it also speaks about the Albanians

http://www.abttf.org/html/index.php?link=detay&id=23&arsiv=1&typ=1

But what's this? a place called Chamerian which the Albanians claim. Hmm

http://members.tripod.com/camerian_volunteer/


http://www.albanian.com/community/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&p=162806&highlight=

Here check this Albanian forum, I always like our Albo bro's after reading their views about Greeks I can say we have a common ground and realise just what a bunch of sick liers some of them are.

Haha, they must be crapping their pants knowing Kosovo is gonna be independant this year.

Thats now Albania, Kosovo, next step for the UNITED STATES OF ALBANIA is Chamerian region, they have my full support.


Oh and add to that the fact Greece doesn't recognise Macedonia.

So what do we have, Greece seems to be in more trouble than it likes to tell us.

Albania-Macedonia-Kosovo-Bulgaria-Turks surround Greece all are enemies, 1 million Albanians in Greece will take Chamerian given the chance, Bati Trakya is in all of our hearts and Macedonia wants to get land back.

No-wonder mainland Greece is kissing Turkey's ass right now, it all makes sense.



Oh and what a find really funny, is these wacko's calling us barbarians etc etc when you have an attitude like this


[i]HellasPratClub
TOURKOS KALOS MONO NEKROS = A GOOD TURK IS A DEAD TURK[.i]


Hey, even Greeks are now admitting what a load of crap those Big Greek Lies about the Pontus and Izmir retard's club.

Another note, Macedonia exists, Alexander the Great was a Macedonian.

Nea-Roma, Constantinopolis the City of Constantine was Roman, capitol of the Eastern Roman Empire again Not Greek.

Venetians raped you for hundreds of years untill Turks came and liberated Cyprus.

Now common, Hellas is giving threats LOL, he's going to "destroy" us, funny when the population of Istanbul is bigger than the entire populations of Greeks in the world.

In the real world, KKTC Turkish Cyprus is moving closer and closer towards the lifting of embargo's and recognition.

Karaman-lis is being a great Turkish Agent in Greek disguise, Greece is now surrounded by enemies and has 1 million Albanians, 250,000 Turks, who know's how many Macedonians.

Greek population growth is very low, while our's is Very high, what's going on there Helas? you guy's don't have the strength to fight not only that your not even man enough to find a wife and make kids.

Probobly because most Greek woman come for some real Men haha, do you know how many Greek woman marry Turks and love us? they all say, we want some real loving, Greek guys a puffy and pathetic.

I've had countless Greek woman tell me this hehe, I guess that's why your so bitter and jelous LOL.


Carry on Hellas, make my day just like your God Papastupidous, I just love his racist attitude and the way his own stubborn biggotry make's the world realise what Greeks are like behind closed door's and sympathise with Turks.

Please carry on, common, you goto have better insults than that, PAPO wudnt be proud of this, no, no. :_))

Your going to live to see KKTC, you must come and visit one day lol