Daily Mail Cyprus Paedo Scare

After the initial scaremongering over a child abduction from the Hotel Anastasia in the eastern Cyprus report of Protaras, which, despite the efforts of the Daily Record and its sister paper the Daily Mirror, was shown to be nothing of the sort, one might have thought that the press would now desist and find another holiday destination to frighten the more susceptible and less travelled holidaymakers away from.

But that though would have been misplaced, as the Mail has decided to keep up the pretence that Something Very Bad nearly happened in Cyprus last week: “EXCLUSIVE: Shocking video shows how police bundled paedophile suspect out of window at Cyprus resort as British parents shouted 'it's another Madeleine McCann’”. There was, to no surprise at all, no paedophile, except in the minds of the mob.

The sub-headings are equally incendiary: “Suspect collared by guests amid allegations he was part of trafficking gang … He was 'punched by father who accused him of putting arm around his son’ … Video shows furious parents surrounding Bulgarian suspect during arrest”. The article goes on “A crowd of enraged parents are seen surrounding the suspect as he is bundled into a police car after guests apprehended him, claiming he is part of a trafficking gang operating at the resort in Cyprus”.

What some of those guests said is yet worse: “We've been told a child got snatched from here last week … My friend said this 'gypsy' had put his arms around his son in the pool earlier that afternoon. His wife shouted the man out … Later we were outside by the pool having a drink and the wife was crying, saying the gypsy was back in the foyer”. Er, what?

It gets worse: “My friend ran in and punched him a few times, hard … My friend was screaming: ‘You had your arms around my kid in the pool’. He was just scared for his kid. He did what any dad would do … Then loads of people rushed into the foyer, saying ‘that's the paedo’. I can't knock someone for hitting him if they thought he was a paedo. Another guy legged it because he was also accused of being a paedo”.

Only at the end of the article does the Mail point out that the young man who was being pursued by a mistaken but angry mob had very good reason to be hanging about in the hotel on occasion - HIS PARENTS WORKED THERE. There was absolutely no evidence to support the claims of child abduction, or indeed any other kind of improper behaviour. Now, the Cyprus High Commission has become involved.

Their statement makes interesting reading: “The Police … took statements from the British parents who filed the complaint … Their statements did not corroborate the allegations concerning a possible abduction plan on the part of the said foreign national”. Meanwhile, the young man who was chased and apparently assaulted by at least one holidaymaker has declined to press charges over his pursuit and beating. Fortunately.

Meanwhile, the press, having breathlessly amplified the original story, have effectively persuaded frightened holidaymakers there really were abductors. And paedos. And gypsies. Then they will refuse to believe the local Police because, well, they would say there wasn’t a problem, wouldn’t they. And they won’t believe the tour operator because, well, they would too. I mean, someone saw them. Didn’t they?

What was that about “Power without responsibility”? As true now as it was in 1931.