Anti-Israel protesters demonstrate outside British military base in Cyprus

Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel campaigners protest at the gates of RAF Akrotiri in Cyprus, accusing Britain of offering tacit support to Israel’s ongoing operations in Gaza and elsewhere.

Chanting “Out with the bases of death,” a couple of hundred people holding Palestinian and Cypriot flags peacefully protest outside the locked gates of the facility, Britain’s largest in the Middle East.

Britain last week sent additional troops to Cyprus to be in position to assist any potential evacuation of nationals trapped in Lebanon.

The UK has two military bases on Cyprus, a former British colony. RAF Akrotiri has been used in the past as a staging point for airstrikes in the Middle East. The base was also reportedly used during the defense of Israel during Iran’s unprecedented direct attack in April.

“This is an issue of independence and sovereignty for Cyprus,” says Peter Iosif, a member of the Cyprus Peace Council, an organizer of the demonstration.

“At this time it becomes even more obvious how the British bases are acting against the will of the Cyprus people,” he says.

In response to the protests, a British bases spokesperson says: “No RAF flights have transported lethal cargo to the Israeli Defense Forces.”

“In addition, it is standard practice for the UK Ministry of Defence to routinely authorize requests for (a) limited number of allies and partners to access the UK’s air bases. Such activity must be in line with UK policy for evacuation and humanitarian purposes only.”