Pro-Palestinian Demonstrators Rally at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus

Pro-Palestinian campaigners protested at RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, accusing Britain of supporting Israel's operations. Hundreds gathered with flags, expressing sovereignty concerns. The UK recently sent troops to Cyprus for potential evacuations amid conflict. Officials deny transporting lethal cargo to Israel and emphasize humanitarian purposes.

Pro-Palestinian campaigners gathered at the gates of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus on Sunday, protesting what they see as Britain's implicit support of Israel's current operations in Gaza. The peaceful demonstration, comprising a couple of hundred people waving Palestinian and Cypriot flags, echoed with chants of "Out with the bases of death" outside the locked facility gates, Britain's largest in the Middle East.

Last week, Britain deployed additional troops to Cyprus to prepare for possible evacuations of nationals stuck in Lebanon. This move followed intense Israeli air strikes and the killing of Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. RAF Akrotiri, one of the two British military bases in the former colony, has historically been a launch point for airstrikes against Houthi forces in Yemen, a reaction to Red Sea shipping attacks.

Peter Iosif of the Cyprus Peace Council, an organizer of the demonstration, stated, "This is an issue of independence and sovereignty for Cyprus," emphasizing local opposition to the British bases. A spokesperson for the British bases responded by ensuring that "No RAF flights have transported lethal cargo to the Israeli Defence Forces" and clarified that base access is limited to humanitarian and evacuation activities.

(With inputs from agencies.)