www.talkcyprus.org

erolz · Joined: 11 Aug 2005 Posts: 4195 Location: Kyrenia / Girne

This is an announcement explaining the removal of the user DigenisAkritas from the forum.

DA first joined the forum some 3 months ago. Within the space of a few days he had broken the rules on not making personal attacks on other members 10 times and thus was suspended for one week, as per the forum rules.

During this suspension period he decided not to wait for his one week suspension to expire but instead signed up under a new account and once again started breaking the rules. When this account was banned he signed up again under a 3rd user name. It was only when I threatened to report him to his ISP for such behavior , did he eventually relent. He then asked to be allowed to return, having firstly ignored the forum rules, treating it and its users with contempt and sought to behave 'above the rules', only relenting when threatend with sanctions via his ISP. I made an agreement with him at this time that if he were to wait 3 months and then request a return to the forum I would raise the issue with the mod / admin team.

3 months passed and DA made such a request (after first trying to make out that I had promised his guaranteed return, when in fact all I had promised was to put the issue to mod / admin team).

The mod / admin team discussed his return amongst themselves and it was agreed that he would be allowed to return. One provision of his return was that he would be allowed to start a SINGLE thread on the issue of 'Islam is a bad religion' but would not be allowed to start multiple threads on such or maneuver existing threads around to this topic, but would have to keep such discussion in the single location. He agreed to these terms and was allowed back to the forum.

However having agreed these terms he then proceeded to ignore them, starting more than one thread on the topic 'Islam is bad' and diverting other threads to this topic - even ones in innocuous areas like the 'leraning Greek / Turkish' sections of the forum.

Thus DA has received a permanent ban from the forum. I wish to stress to all that this is because of his inability to honor agreements made and the forum rules in a persistent manner over considerable time and having been given ample chance to do so. He is not banned because his views were odious on many subjects or for any other reason. If he had not treated the forum rules with contempt 3 months ago he would not be banned now. He has been banned because of his behavior and not because of his views.

best_of_both · Joined: 12 Jul 2006 Posts: 61 Location: cambridge

sorry typo

stavrizatz · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 2:39 am Post subject:

I thought the above reason was given before...

Shit and I wanted to see how a conversation with Bir would go, well...

Xenos 2Fan · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 6:09 am Post subject:

stavrizatz wrote: I thought the above reason was given before...

Shit and I wanted to see how a conversation with Bir would go, well...

Stavri,

Not trying to be rude but I don't understand what you're trying to say here.

stavrizatz · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 1:54 pm Post subject:

You are not rude Xenos it is true, i used really bad expression.

All I am trying to say is that there was a funny conversation of DA and Birkibrisli and I wanted it to continue. DA makes me laugh as no one really pays attention to him but he continues to argue.

Lewis Gerolemou · Joined: 30 Apr 2006 Posts: 107 Location: UK

The sad thing about DA is that he obviously has good knowledge of what is discussed on this forum and were it not for the way he expresses his abusive and bigoted views he could in fact (which is presumably why he was allowed back) make an interesting contribution.

Xenos 2Fan · Posted: Mon Dec 11, 2006 11:59 pm Post subject:

stavrizatz wrote: You are not rude Xenos it is true, i used really bad expression.

All I am trying to say is that there was a funny conversation of DA and Birkibrisli and I wanted it to continue. DA makes me laugh as no one really pays attention to him but he continues to argue.

Okay gotcha. Thanks for the clarification. 8)

repulsewarrior · Joined: 06 Jan 2006 Posts: 1742 Location: Canada

Drats, DA had his problems, and I had hoped that the effort of dialog would have been a great help to all of us.

In the past year I have seen many mature, myself included.

Sad to see him go; banned permanently. My hope, that this is not so; that something is learned, that thinking is clearer, and that tolerance includes change.

depurple · Joined: 06 Dec 2005 Posts: 2876 Location: Australia

Well boys what do you expect when nearly 99% on this forum seem to think that ENOSIS, EOKA, TMT, Greece, Turkey, Denktash, Grivas, Ecivit where the correct thing for Cyprus:
EVEN now it makes me sad that people still believe in all of the above with ALL there hearts:
AND it make me sad that only 1% believe that Cyprus is for Cypriots only and THAT ALL of the above contributed to the mess and the division Cyprus is in TODAY!

So as time goes on you will see more people either getting banned or just disappearing because they are frustrated with the non communication and division withing the forum!
cheers
DA and many others get out of the TIME WARP of the 70s Cold WAR FEAR and also what your parents have drummed into your heads and think for yourselves and for the GOOD of Cyprus!

RudeGal · Joined: 05 Apr 2006 Posts: 385 Location: London

depurple, I don't think the picture you paint of Forum users is accurate. Also, comes over a little patronising (why are you so bang on and not most?).

Most people who regularly write here are aware and vs many of the bad energies (people or groups) that have worked against the interests of the people of Cyprus. Just because we dont' see things in quite the 'black & white' you do, does not mean we have nothing positive to offer the island.

As for DA being banned, good riddance. I want nothing to do with racist bigots like him. He had his chances and he deliberately broke rules and wrote calculated offensive posts. Why have such a negative influence? He is a lost cause!

repulsewarrior · Joined: 06 Jan 2006 Posts: 1742 Location: Canada

Wouldn't say lost cause RudeGal, because he is intelligent and a someone who knows alot about the subjects he speaks. However, using the wrong foot and booting it around intentionally is not a practical way of expressing your point of view.

I think DA suffers a great deal of pain, and like most desires to express this with others. In its manner it is misguided. Clearly, our efforts were of no satisfaction, and I regard it our failure that this person did not find solice. I fear the isolation which it will bring to him(her), and the affect on all of us.

Like the gunman in the school yard, the innocent suffer when it is too late.

RudeGal · Joined: 05 Apr 2006 Posts: 385 Location: London

repulsewarrior wrote: Wouldn't say lost cause RudeGal, because he is intelligent and a someone who knows alot about the subjects he speaks. However, using the wrong foot and booting it around intentionally is not a practical way of expressing your point of view.

I think DA suffers a great deal of pain, and like most desires to express this with others. In its manner it is misguided. Clearly, our efforts were of no satisfaction, and I regard it our failure that this person did not find solice. I fear the isolation which it will bring to him(her), and the affect on all of us.

Like the gunman in the school yard, the innocent suffer when it is too late. Repulsewarrior, I understand your compassionate nature, but DA does not deserve it and I don't see it as a failure at all. FYI most racists sadly are very intelligent - they have ability to rationalise the facts and selectively and deliberately deliver those which support their warped ideas, which is why they are so dangerous. If he was ignorant and prejudiced, he is worth perservering with, but a person of sane and capable mind who wrote the way he did is not someone who should be given a public platform ever. It is his kind of calculating misrepresentation that at best invokes fear/prejudices and at worse incites racial hatred. It cannot be tolerated.

As for the pain, we all have it, so it is no good him hiding behind it or you/others using it as an excuse. If we can restrain ourselves, so could he. He chose (rational action) not to.

Sorry for strength of feeling on this, but no room/time for racists of any kind (Turkish Cypriot, Greek Cypriot, Brit, whoever!).

erolz · Joined: 11 Aug 2005 Posts: 4195 Location: Kyrenia / Girne

Again I wish to reiterate that DA was not banned because his view were odious either to me or the forum users in general. He was banned because of his inability to abide by the forum rules consistently and over time. He was banned because of his behaviour and not because of his views.

pg · Joined: 17 Jan 2006 Posts: 1485 Location: Cyprus

RudeGal wrote:
Repulsewarrior, I understand your compassionate nature, but DA does not deserve it and I don't see it as a failure at all. FYI most racists sadly are very intelligent - they have ability to rationalise the facts and selectively and deliberately deliver those which support their warped ideas, which is why they are so dangerous. If he was ignorant and prejudiced, he is worth perservering with, but a person of sane and capable mind who wrote the way he did is not someone who should be given a public platform ever. It is his kind of calculating misrepresentation that at best invokes fear/prejudices and at worse incites racial hatred. It cannot be tolerated.

That goes for most of, at least the previous, political leaders in Cyprus, and if more humane Cypriots does not engage with them then we know where that leads us...

repulsewarrior · Joined: 06 Jan 2006 Posts: 1742 Location: Canada

Thanks rudegal.

pg I think you get my point.