FAMAGUSTA GAZETTE – The international campaign “UK-US: BASES OFF CYPRUS” organized a demonstration outside the British Bases in Limassol, Cyprus, Sunday.
The protest, which attracted around 90 people, was timed alongside an investigation by ‘Genocide-Free Cyprus’ into allegations that British and U.S. aircraft stationed at the bases were involved during Israel’s recent offensive on Gaza.
Protesters called for the elimination of the British Bases and urged the Cypriot government to bar the use of its facilities by foreign military forces.
They alleged that the bases contribute to the genocide of Palestinians and demanded an end to the transfer of military aid and personnel through the facilities.
A simultaneous protest took place at the U.K. Ministry of Defence in London, with participants echoing similar demands and emphasizing the need for greater accountability.
Last week, Matt Kennard, former head of investigations at Declassified UK, described RAF Akrotiri as a “central node in the Anglo-American empire” controlling the Middle East.
The British Sovereign Base Areas (SBAs) of Akrotiri and Dhekelia in Cyprus were retained by the UK under the 1960 Treaty of Establishment. Akrotiri, near Limassol, hosts a key RAF station for Middle Eastern and Mediterranean operations, while Dhekelia, near Larnaca, houses a British Army garrison and is adjacent to the UN Buffer Zone.
These bases cover around 3% of Cyprus’s territory and remain strategically important, but their presence is contentious among Cypriots, who see them as remnants of colonial rule undermining Cypriot sovereignty.
