From the WMW – Greek network, we organized our participation in Istanbul and Brindisi, and organized three public activities. One in Thessaloniki on the 12th of May, two in Patras on the 12th and 13th of May.

In Istanbul we went only three women, but the activities were really great. On the 9th of the month they had for a and discussions, as they probably notified you from Turkey.

On the 10th of May, the Turkish women had organized a nice boat-excursion, around a small island in the entrance of the Bosporus, where the daughter of emperor Vysas was closed for her “protection” 1000 years ago. The legend says, that when the girl was born, the mother of the girl had a dream that the girl will die of a snake bite when she grows older. So her father decided to protect her by imprisoning her in a small tower that he built for her in the middle of the sea. This tower is on top of the point where the two continents, Asia and Europe, meet. The time come though, that the snake was sent to the young maiden in a basket of grapes or apples, put there by a witch. The snake bit the girl, who died and the prophecy was verified.

Nevertheless, the imprisonment of the girl is a symbol of imprisonment of women, and thus we went there on the little boats, to throw flowers in the sea around.

At three o’ clock in the afternoon, there was a big demonstration, over 1500 women, very vivid, very enthusiastic, very colourful, which shows how strong our Turkish sisters-feminists are.

Then we finished by speeches, on women’s rights and antinationalism, antiwar action and ideas, expressed by them and us. There were women also from Cyprus and Azerbaizjan. The Turkish women were from trades unions, the peoples houses and women’s organizations mainly, and that from many cities. The presence of the police was not massive, while we learned that there was a lot of secret police.

EVENT AT THE BORDER

On the 12th of the month, 45 Turkish women come to Thessaloniki, which was a great pleasure and great honour for us. Despite the fact that the rain ruined our plans for an open meeting, we managed to have a massive demonstration in the afternoon, about 400 women and a few men, and a public meeting at 7 o’clock at the Labour Centre of the City.

In this meeting, the Canadian sister presented the Charter, after the opening from Sonia Mitralia. Sevgi Göyce of KESK, (the trades Union of public sector) spoke after, on the charter and the struggle of the women in Turkey. A Greek trades unionist, Despoina Charalambidou followed, who spoke on the relocation of factories in the northern from Greece countries, and the unemployment caused by this in Greece and overexploitation in Bulgaria and other countries. These factories are mostly on the clothing sector, and employ mostly women.

Subsequently the Women’s group of Thessaloniki spoke on family violence, followed by a Turkish woman on the same subject, while other Greek and Turkish women intervened and spoke.

It was a wonderful meeting of women’s solidarity and a unique event for the city, as Greek-Turkish friendship in terms of practical activities is something very uncommon in Greece and of course in Turkey. We are told we are enemies, we tell them that we practice the friendship of the peoples of the two countries. The evening ended with feast and small celebration and the sisters left at 11 o’clock in the night for an arduous 12hour journey of return.

PATRAS AGAINST TRAFFICKING

Patras is a city with a port that unites Greece with Italy through the sea-way. Many immigrants leave from there illegally for Europe, much trafficking is taking place across the Patras ports and the Italian ones. On the 12th of the month there was a public meeting with more than 50 women, where they showed a film on trafficking in the bug square of the city, distributed hundreds of leaflets and made a march with torches in the night.

In this city there was a lot of solidarity to one Ukranian woman victim of trafficking, who dared to denounce the rackets of procurers and was in court against them. Hundreds of women and men had joined the young woman in court, and when the last unfair decision was proclaimed, there was a protest with occupation of the court room and a spontaneous demonstration in the city.

The following day, at the port of Patras 32 persons (mostly women) left for Brindisi to join the activities of our sisters there. Before leaving, we had a theatrical happening on migration, by a group of 5 women. We had in Greece a lot of attention and publicizing in the press and the electronic media.

In Brindisi we were welcomed by the sisters in the morning, with banners and slogans from the boat as it was approaching the coast. There was a forum until 1.30 and at 5 o’clock a very live demonstration, of about 200 women. In the evening there was another public meeting with speeches, and a very qualitative ethnic band that kept us celebrating until 11 in the evening.

Relay at Cyprus

Let’s patch things up

CYPRIOT women from both sides of the divide yesterday joined their voices in reaffirming their desire for peace and reunification on the island.

They met at the Ledra Palace hotel, in the Nicosia buffer zone, to prepare their piece of a global patchwork representing the ideal world of women from every country.The pieces would be put together to make a huge quilt – the quilt of international solidarity, which would translate the Women’s World Charter for Humanity. It was an emotional meeting in the middle of the dividing line.

Turkish Cypriot women, who got there first, greeted their Greek counterparts with the slogan “Peace in Cyprus cannot be stopped”. The Greek women replied with “United and peaceful Cyprus” and walked towards the meeting point where the approximately 100 women put their hands together and applauded their combined effort. They then moved inside the hotel, carrying a long strip of white sheet – their piece of patchwork – which was later filled with wishes for piece colourful cloth flowers. The bi-communal gathering was attended by House Speaker Demetris Christofias, Turkish Cypriot ‘prime minister’ Ferdi Soyer, and other political personalities from both sides.

In a speech read in Greek and Turkish, the women of Cyprus said that their piece of patchwork captured the aims of their struggle for a solution of the Cyprus problem and piece and progress in Cyprus. The women of Cyprus, Turkish, Greek, Armenian, Maronite and Latin, all victims of war, “visualise a free and reunited motherland; a happy and progressive Cyprus, a common homeland for all its children,” the women said.

“They dream of a world full of hope, life, where it is worth for one to live in.”

Copyright © Cyprus Mail 2005