Cyprus police arrest 21 people after protesters tried to attack Syrian migrants

NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) — Police in Cyprus say they have arrested 21 people and used tear gas and a water cannon after a group of Greek Cypriots wearing hoods and brandishing sticks tried to attack Syrian migrants. The violence occurred in a small village that has been a hotbed of tensions between locals and migrants. Police said parallel protests by some 250 Syrians and an equal number of Greek Cypriots in the village of Chloraka Monday evening degenerated into violence. Smaller numbers of protesters from both groups began setting fire to garbage bins and also torching a building’s fence. A police spokesman told state broadcaster CyBC Tuesday that the clashes began when Greek Cypriots attempted to assault the migrants. He said nine Greek Cypriots and a dozen migrants were detained.