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Cyprus protests attacks from British bases
We publish here two statements calling for the closure of military bases on the island that are now once again being used to launch bombing attacks on the Middle East
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Cyprus Peace Council memorandum to the British bases in Cyprus
The Cyprus Peace Council, together with all the peace-loving people who gathered yesterday, Sunday January 14 2024, outside the British bases in Akrotiri, reiterate their demand for an end to Cyprus’s involvement via the British bases in the genocide being committed against the fraternal Palestinian people.
Our long-standing position for an immediate end to the presence of the British bases in Cyprus is confirmed by the constant danger they pose to the security of our homeland and the peoples of our region.
We once again denounce the use and involvement of the British bases in Cyprus in the murderous air strikes being launched against the peoples of the region. The ongoing military operations in the Gaza Strip and Yemen are creating dangers of a general flare-up in the Middle East.
We denounce the illegal presence of US troops in our country through the British military base of Akrotiri.
We denounce the creation of a US military base within the British base of Akrotiri and the illegal presence of 3,000 US soldiers.
We denounce the transfer of US arms and forces in support of the Israeli army’s operations in the Gaza Strip and Yemen.
Cyprus is neither a US-Nato nor a British aggressive launching pad. We the Cypriot people do not want our country to be involved in any way in the bloody massacre taking place in the Gaza Strip.
That is precisely why we demand the immediate dismantling of the British bases, as well as of all the foreign military bases in the countries of our region and across the world. The British bases are a remnant of the colonial regime. They maim the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of Cyprus and put the peoples of the region in constant danger, violating international law.
We demand an immediate and complete ceasefire and the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
We demand an end to the genocide of the Palestinian people, and an end to the occupation and colonisation of Palestine by the State of Israel. We demand freedom for Palestine and the establishment of an independent Palestinian state, as provided for in the relevant resolutions of the UN.
Nothing divides the peoples of our region. Our common enemy is imperialism, which gives birth to wars, chauvinism and militarism. Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots are fighting for peace to prevail in our country.
We are struggling for a solution that will reunite Cyprus and free us from foreign armies and “guardians.” We are struggling to make our homeland a bridge of peace and co-operation between the peoples.
Leave Cyprus out of your imperialist plans! British bases out of Cyprus! Freedom for Palestine!
Statement from the British Peace Assembly
The British Peace Assembly sends greetings of peace and solidarity to the Cyprus Peace Council and to everyone gathered today outside the British base at Akrotiri Cyprus to protest against the continuing onslaught by the government of Israel and its armed forces against the people of Gaza. The BPA regrets that our representatives cannot be physically present with you, but please know that nonetheless we are standing with you in our thoughts and hearts.
We condemn the genocidal onslaught against the Palestinian people by the Netanyahu government and its armed forces, supported directly and indirectly by its foreign allies, including the British government. We demand an immediate ceasefire and an outcome in accordance with all UN resolutions and international law, a resolution that includes the establishment of a free and sovereign state of Palestine.
The BPA calls unequivocally for the closure of all British bases and military installations in Cyprus. We call for a halt to the massive upgrading work being planned and undertaken at Akrotiri at astronomic cost.
We also call for an immediate end to the decades-long use of Akrotiri for the training of military personnel, for secret surveillance of the whole Middle East region, for the stationing there of state-of-the-art attack aircraft and for the launching from the base of operating missions which threaten the peace of Europe, the Middle East, and north Africa.
We condemn the government of Britain for facilitating US and Nato aggression by granting its forces permission freely to use the Akrotiri base.
All military supplies to and support for the Israeli government’s unspeakable assault against the Palestinian people facilitated via our government’s Cyprus bases must end immediately, as must the transformation of Cyprus into an island arsenal and forward position for the forces of the US and its allies that exposes its whole population to retaliatory attack and places the region and beyond on the very brink of catastrophe. We salute the Cyprus Peace Council for organising this action today. May peace and progress prevail.
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CHRIS MENON reveals how Britain’s military bases, a dark relic of colonialism on the island, are being used to support Israel’s actions in Gaza, making Cyprus a target for retaliation and violating its sovereignty
Last weekend, Cypriot Communist youth organisation EDON led Greek and Turkish Cypriot youth in a march to Troodos mountain, the island's highest point, for a rally against the RAF bases in Cyprus and their use to supply Israel's war on Palestinians
