Hundreds in Cyprus demand dismantling British base, ceasefire for Gaza
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Demonstrators have accused Britain of fueling regional war on Gaza and aggression on Yemen.
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Peace protesters rally outside the Royal Air Force Akrotiri base near the Cypriot coastal city of Limassol. (AFP)
Over 300 peace demonstrators protested outside Britain's Akrotiri military station in Cyprus on Sunday, accusing it of fueling regional wars on Gaza and Yemen.
Demonstrators sought the dismantling of military outposts that have remained under British administration since the eastern Mediterranean island country gained independence in 1960.
Protesters demanded a ceasefire and held banners that read: "Stop funding the genocide."
The head of the Cyprus Peace Council, Tasos Kosteas, proclaimed that "Cyprus is a living example that military bases do not solve problems, do not provide stability and security, but intensify militarisation and perpetuate tension."
Britain maintains two "Sovereign Base Areas" on Cyprus, Dhekelia in the east and Akrotiri in the west, which are enormous, highly covert military and intelligence complexes covering 3% of the island's geographical area and historically used for UK bombing missions in the Middle East.
Many consider the UK actively complicit in the war on Gaza, with its collaboration taking numerous forms under different pretexts.
A British Defense Ministry spokesperson told AFP that "British Forces Cyprus continue to support the delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza and no RAF flights into 'Israel' have transported any lethal cargo."
However, last month, the UK military informed parliament that there is no "formal requirement" to notify the Cypriot government of its extensive military and intelligence activities on the island.
According to Leandros Fischer, a professor from Limassol and a United For Palestine activist, the base was also utilized in the recent US and British bombardment of Yemen's Armed Forces, following an attack on ships in the Red Sea.
Fischer expressed that protesters are opposed to the "very presence of British bases" on the country's soil since it endangers it and makes it a potential target.
Vera Polycarpou, AKEL's head of international relations, also expressed that the demonstrators wanted to see the bases dismantled.
