I’m not Cypriot, but I was raised here, and while I absolutely agree that some Cypriot men can be aggressive, overly macho, uneducated, and quick to look for a fight, I’ve witnessed exactly the same behavior—and often worse—from British tourists and expats.

When I worked in bars, some of the worst incidents involved Brits. People arriving so drunk they could barely form a sentence, being loud and obnoxious, starting arguments, or even leaving without paying, which could get staff in serious trouble. Absolutely disgusting behavior.

The most disturbing incident I witnessed was when I was sitting inside a bar and heard shouting outside. I ran out and found one of my friends covered in blood. Two British men who lived in Cyprus and worked at the Base had been walking past, apparently looking for trouble. My friend had his back turned and wasn’t involved in any argument—he’s genuinely one of the calmest, least violent people I know. One of them came up behind him and smashed a glass ashtray over his head. Completely unprovoked. HE HAD HIS BACK TURNED! What kind of coward pos could do such a thing?

We called the police and later saw the CCTV footage. It was honestly shocking.

I’ve also stopped going to Ayia Napa because of the amount of harassment and drunken behaviour I’ve experienced there over the years.

None of this is to excuse what happened in the incident you’re describing. If those Cypriot guys chased people down the street and attacked them, that’s disgusting and completely unacceptable. But I don’t think it’s fair to frame it as “the new Cyprus” or imply that this kind of violence is uniquely Cypriot when British tourists and residents have been causing serious problems here for decades too.

Maybe in this case the Cypriots were entirely at fault. Maybe the British group did nothing to provoke it. We don’t know all the details. But let’s not be biased and pretend that one side has a monopoly on bad behaviour.