American performer Jennifer Lopez has cancelled a birthday performance in northern Cyprus this month, amid growing controversy about the gig in a Turkish-occupied area from Greek Cypriots and Greek-American groups.
The furor over a luxury hotel inauguration showed how easily bitter rivalry can flare up between Cypriots across the ethnic divide, even as the two sides are locked in fruitless peace talks.
Reports that Lopez would perform at a hotel in the breakaway Turkish north on her 41st birthday this month triggered a Greek Cypriot online campaign pushing for cancellation.
However, the news has been met with outrage by officials at the Cyprus Action Network of America, who have started a campaign calling on Lopez to scrap the gig as it falls on the July 20th - the date that Turkish troops invaded the Greek-owned island in 1974.
Birthday invitation
Several weeks ago, it emerged that a new luxury hotel-casino opening near the coastal city of Kyrenia had invited Lopez to celebrate her 41st birthday on the northern region of the Mediterranean island.
Reports arose that the New York-born entertainer would receive an appearance fee of about $3 million US to perform at a July 24 show at the Cratos Premium hotel in the Turkish-occupied north, which separated politically from the rest of the island in 1974.
"Once again the Turks suffer from continued embargoes," said one post from the Facebook forum. "Jennifer Lopez is coming ... my Greek friends live with it."
Another said: "A very bad day for reunification chances. Might as well build a huge wall down the middle of the island."
No comments:
Post a Comment