as judge zeka had predicted 17 years earlier, the proposed repeal of section 171 sparked a huge public backlash. nearly a thousand people protested outside the house of representatives in nicosia on may 15, 1997. known as the committee for the fight against the decriminalization of homosexuality, the protest was led by cypriot orthodox church priests, monks and nuns, and featured signs reading "no to sodom and gomorrah in cyprus" and "cyprus is the island of saints, not homosexuals." archbishop chrysostomos i actively campaigned against the repeal of section 171, and the pancyprian christian orthodox movement collected 40,000 signatures (representing nearly 5% of the island's total population) on a petition opposing the reform, and even went as far as promising to compile a "blacklist" of all mps voting for the repeal.