Away from soccer for Cyprus [Archive] - Soccer Fans Network Forums

plato-ny

11-29-2005, 03:14 AM

In November 2005 Transport for London reinstated an advertising campaign on London Buses and in Underground Stations promoting occupied Cyprus. This campaign was banned earlier on in the year for causing offence to Greek Cypriot refugees. The reinstatement of this offensive campaign followed a dubious British High Court judgement overturning the original ban which Transport for London failed to appeal because there was only one complaint. We therefore engorge all concerned to protest this offensive advertising campaign and provide Transport for London with enough complaints to justify and new ban.

SAMPLE LETTER

Please send your protest letters to mayor@london.gov.uk, enquire@tfl.gov.uk, travinfo@tfl.gov.uk, enquiries@asa.org.uk, info@londontravelwatch.org.uk, donnam@asa.org.uk, mattw@asa.org.uk, debraq@asa.org.uk, ryant@asa.org.uk, zoek@asa.org.uk, press@cap.org.uk, enquiries@cap.org.uk

If you are a student then make your Students Union and Hellenic Societies aware of this campaign, especially if you live in London.

The Mayor of London
Transport For London
London Travel Watch
Advertising Standards Authority
Committee of Advertising Practice

Dear Sir/Madam,

I am writing to complain about the reappearance of advertising on London buses and outside London tube stations promoting illegal travel and holidays to the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus, which had previously been banned by Transport of London and the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone for being offensive to Greek Cypriots who were ethnically cleansed from their homes when Turkey invaded Cyprus in 1974.

How can Transport of London and the Mayor of London Ken Livingstone justify allowing these offensive adverts to reappear thereby encouraging people to travel to occupied Cyprus which has been ethnically cleansed of its indigenous Greek Cypriot majority population by Turkey including over 200,000 refugees and their families who now live in London.

None of the ethnically cleansed Greek Cypriot refugees are allowed to return to their ancestral homes and villages in the north and because of this the European Court of Human Rights has found Turkey guilty on multiple occasions of violating their basic human rights including the right to respect for private and family life, home and correspondence, the right to protection of property, and the right to an effective remedy (Loizidou vs. Turkey and Cyprus vs. Turkey).

The unacceptable advertisements illegally attempt to give legitimacy to the Turkish occupation of part of the territory of Republic of Cyprus and the illegal Turkish occupation regime that has been judged to be a puppet of Turkey and the Turkish military by the European Court of Human Rights (Loizidou v. Cyprus (merits)). "In that judgment, the Court had noted that Turkey exercised effective overall control of northern Cyprus through its military presence there, with the result that its responsibility under the Convention was engaged for the policies and actions of the "TRNC" authorities. In the instant case, the Court stressed that Turkey's responsibility under the Convention could not be confined to the acts of its own soldiers and officials operating in northern Cyprus but was also engaged by virtue of the acts of the local administration ("the TRNC"), which survived by virtue of Turkish military and other support" such as the illegal advertisements now reappearing on Transport for London property.

The Turkish occupation of Cyprus and the puppet Turkish military occupation regime has been condemned by the United Nations in over 130 resolutions of both the General Assembly and the Security Council.

UN Resolution 541 (1983)

"Deplores the declaration of the Turkish Cypriot authorities of the purported secession of part of the Republic of Cyprus;"
" Considers the declaration refereed to above as legally invalid and calls for its withdrawal;"
" Calls upon all states to respect the sovereignty, independence, territorial integrity and non-alignment of the Republic of Cyprus;"
" Calls upon all states not to recognise any Cypriot state other than the Republic of Cyprus;"

UN Resolution 550 (1984)

" Reaffirms the call upon all States not to recognise the purported state of the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" set up by secessionist acts and calls upon them not to facilitate or in any way assist this the aforesaid secessionist entity;"

After the illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus 1974 the government of the Republic of Cyprus supported by the EU and UN imposed a ban on all direct flights to or from occupied Cyprus and banned the advertisement of such flights. All countries including Turkey have to abide by this ban. Under international law the authorities in occupied Cyprus are not allowed to issue visas and any illegally issued visas are not recognised by any other country except Turkey.

In 1994 the European Court of Justice passed a judgement that banned all trade with occupied north Cyprus unless permission was given by the legal government of the Republic of Cyprus and the trade entered or left Cyprus by official ports and airports.

The Government of Cyprus has declared all the harbours and airports of occupied Cyprus closed to traffic and any entry from these points is illegal. This is the law of the Country. The Tymbou airport in the occupied areas is built on stolen property belonging to over 200 Greek Cypriot refugees who can sue anyone in EU courts for trespassing or using their property. These people are the legal owners of the Tymbou airport land and Transport for London is encouraging people to violate their property rights and trespass on their land. Greek Cypriot refugees who are prevented from excising their property rights by the Turkish occupation regime own ninety percent of the land and property in occupied Cyprus (as judged by the European Court of Human Rights), including nearly all of the hotels and the land they are built on. Under current Cyprus law the illegal use or exploitation of refugees property carries a mandatory 2 year minimum prison senesce and the property owners can sue anyone who is illegally using or exploiting their property, including British tourists, in the Cyprus courts. The Cyprus courts verdict can be imposed in any EU member state and the Cyprus courts are permitted to issue EU arrest warrants to bring the persons to justice in Cyprus.

The offensive advertisements that Transport for London is hosting fail to warn people reading them that if they attempt to travel to occupied Cyprus by any of the illegal ports of entry or if they violate any of the property rights of the Greek Cypriot refugees who own 90% of the land and property in the occupied areas they will be violating the laws of the Republic of Cyprus and are liable to prosecution by the Cyprus government and by the Greek Cypriot refugee property owners whose right they are violating.

Therefore, by allowing these advertisements which are illegal in EU and Cyprus law Transport for London is liable to:

1.- The Violation of Cyprus laws which declare the use of all ports and airports in the occupied areas illegal.

2.- The Violation of Cyprus laws which prohibit the illegal exploitation of refugees property which now carry a sentence of two years in prison.

3.- The Violation of Cyprus laws of trespass.

4.- The Violation of the European Convention of Human Rights (Right to property).

6.- The Violation of EU customs regulations which prohibit the use of the illegal ports and airports.

7.- Promoting Illegal entry into the Republic of Cyprus.

8.- Promoting Illegal entry into the European Union.

9.- Promoting Illegal trade across EU borders.

10.- Encouraging the violation of Cyprus and EU laws through advertising and the use of illegal flights

11.- The Violation of the UN Resolutions 541(1983) and 550(1984)

12.- The Violation of the Cyprus Flight Information Region.

13.- Promoting Illegal entry into Cyprus Air Space.

14.- Ignoring the Air Traffic Control Regulations.

15.- Promoting flying without insurance.

I therefore demand that these illegal advertisements that promote and encourage people to travel to occupied Cyprus and exploit refugees property and trade with the illegal occupation regime and thereby give it legitimacy and which cause grave offence to the Greek Cypriots who were ethnically cleansed by Turkey and who now reside in London be banned once again. I also demand that Transport for London seek ways to make the reappearance of such advisements impossible such as banning advertising on Transport for London property completely, banning the promotion of foreign countries or parts of their territory and regions unless the advisements are endorsed by the legitimate authorities of the country in question, or forcing all advertisements that may be construed as promoting occupied Cyprus to carry warnings against the exploitation of refugees property, the use of the illegal ports and airports in the occupied areas of the Republic of Cyprus and the use of direct flights to occupied Cyprus and declare that northern Cyprus is under illegal Turkish occupation.

Yours faithfully,

Ken Livingstone Mayor of London
Greater London Authority
City Hall
The Queen's Walk
London SE1 2AA

mayor@london.gov.uk

http://www.london.gov.uk/gla/contact.jsp

Transport for London

enquire@tfl.gov.uk.

travinfo@tfl.gov.uk

https://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/contact_home.shtml

Independent Watchdog London Travel Watch

info@londontravelwatch.org.uk

Advertising Standards Authority

enquiries@asa.org.uk

donnam@asa.org.uk

mattw@asa.org.uk

debraq@asa.org.uk

ryant@asa.org.uk

zoek@asa.org.uk

http://www.asa.org.uk/asa/contact/

Committee of Advertising Practice

press@cap.org.uk

enquiries@cap.org.uk

http://www.cap.org.uk/cap/