Cyprus Mail www.cyprus-mail.com
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
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Violent scuffles at Paphos site Police clash with building workers who tried to stop strike-breakers By George Psyllides
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IOLENCE erupted in Paphos yesterday when police confronted striking builders who tried to stop strike-breakers who were brought in to take over the work at a hotel construction site. Three people were arrested during the trouble on Posidonos Avenue, which began at around 9am when some 50 strikebreakers tried to enter the site, which was being guarded by construction workers on day nine of an islandwide strike. Police intervened in a bid to restore order, arresting two striking workers and a female union official in the process as both police and builders pushed and shoved each other. Television footage showed one police officer shouting abuse at the striking builders as he moved to push them out of the way. Another officer used pepper spray against builders who were trying to prevent him from making an arrest, police said. A man was treated in hospital for breathing problems and was later released. The unions accused police of using excessive force. “The police tried to disperse strikers violently and with excessive zeal,” PEO representative Neophytos Assos said. Assos also charged that police offic-
ers had provoked striking workers, telling them they did not know how to hold a strike properly. Giorgos Christodoulou, the District Secretary of SEK, suggested that police could have told the employer not to go ahead with any work because of the large number of strikers outside. Because of this, there were scuffles and police used violence, Christodoulou said. “Are we living in a dictatorship where people are not allowed to do anything?” he added. “Police wouldn’t even let us on the pavement.” Police said the striking workers had blocked the road for hours, disrupting traffic. Paphos police Deputy Director Nicos Sophocleous defended the force’s actions. “Police did their duty,” he said. Police spokeswoman Lefki Solomontos echoed his comments on CyBC later in the day. “As the police, we have an obligation to enforce the law and maintain order,” she said, adding that though the right to strike was “completely respected” the police were obliged to intervene in this case and any other similar ones. Also commenting on the incident, head of the employers and industrialists’ federation (OEV), Michalis Pilikos said: “No one
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Screen grab from CyBC, which depicts an angry police officer approaching the strikers at the building site in Paphos yesterday morning. Strikers and unions claim police used excessive force to try and clear them from the area
Red wine, green tea could aid dementia fight By John von Radowitz CHEMICALS in red wine and green tea may block the brain damage caused by Alzheimer’s disease, an early study suggests. Scientists targeted a process that allows harmful clumps of protein in the brain to kill off neurons. Using purified extracts of the chemicals EGCG in green tea and resveratrol in red wine, they were able to stop nerve cells from being harmed. The findings, published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry, could pave the way for new drugs to treat Alzheimer’s, say the researchers. Lead scientist Professor Nigel Hooper, from the University of Leeds, said: “This
is an important step in increasing our understanding of the cause and progression of Alzheimer’s disease. “It’s a misconception that Alzheimer’s is a natural part of ageing; it’s a disease that we believe can ultimately be cured through finding new opportunities for drug targets like this.” Alzheimer’s is characterised by a buildup of amyloid-beta protein in the brain which clumps together to form toxic, sticky balls. The amyloid balls latch on to molecules called prions on the surface of nerve cells. As a result, the nerve cells start to malfunction and eventually die. “We wanted to investigate whether the precise shape of the amyloid balls is essential for them to attach to the prion receptors, like the way a baseball fits
snugly into its glove,” said Dr Jo Rushworth, another member of the Leeds team. Previous research had shown that the red wine and green tea compounds are able to reshape amyloid proteins. When they were added to amyloid balls in a test tube, the toxic clumps of protein no longer harmed human and animal brain cells. Dr Simon Ridley, from the charity Alzheimer’s Research UK which part-funded the study, said: “Understanding the causes of Alzheimer’s is vital if we are to find a way of stopping the disease in its tracks. “While these early-stage results should not be a signal for people to stock up on green tea and red wine, they could provide an important new lead in the search for new and effective treatments.”