Τhe Communist Initiative of Cyprus has announced a protest against the British military bases on the island, slated for Saturday, February 10, at 10:30 a.m.
The march, which will end at the High Commission of the United Kingdom in Nicosia, is a stand against what the initiative describes as “imperialist machinations” involving Cyprus, particularly through the use of British bases.
“In the midst of intensifying imperialist machinations and attacks, of the continuing genocide of the Palestinian people, and the bloodshed in Yemen, our island is involved in this maelstrom,” the announcement stated.
The initiative accuses the bases of being used for operations against neighbouring countries and criticises the Cypriot government for its complicity.
The group’s demands are the closure of what they call “bases of death” and the end to Cyprus’s involvement in regional conflicts. “We demand an immediate end to the involvement of our island in the massacre in Gaza and the EU-NATO interventions in the region,” the initiative expressed, emphasising the urgency of disengaging Cyprus from foreign military influences and operations.
The protest aims to rally citizens against the “full NATOisation of Cyprus” and advocate for peace and neutrality in the face of escalating foreign military presence and actions. “The British bases are a miasma for our country. Throughout time, they have been a base for the bloodshed of peoples, but also a centre of surveillance and espionage in the service of imperialist crimes,” the announcement added, underlining the historical and ongoing impact of these military installations on the island and the broader region.
The call to action is not just about the British bases but extends to a broader critique of international military alliances and interventions. The organisation stands for the closure of all foreign military bases, the disengagement of Cyprus from the conflict in Palestine, an end to the war in Gaza, and the cessation of NATO-led interventions in the region.
“On Saturday, February 10, we call on all those who share the same concerns as us, those who oppose the full NATOization of Cyprus, all those who support peace in our country, to march with us, to the British High Commission to shout ‘Out with the bases, out with NATO’,” the announcement concluded.
The UK has been using its RAF base in Akrotiri to conduct air strikes against Houthi targets in Yemen.
The Houthis have been targeting commercial vessels with drones and missiles in the Red Sea since mid-November, in what they describe as acts of solidarity with Palestinians against Israel in the Gaza war.
Besides being used for air strikes against Houthis, according to Declassified UK the UK’s airbase in Akrotiri has facilitated over 30 military transport flights to Tel Aviv since the start of Israel’s bombardment of Gaza.
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