A protest outside the Foreign Ministry in Nicosia took place on Thursday afternoon, following an emergency call by the Global Movement for Gaza Cyprus, in response to the interception of the “Sumud” Flotilla and the detention of its crew by Israel.
Tension arose at one point when, according to statements by the event organizers to CNA, police forces, who were not initially present but arrived a few minutes after the protest began, moved towards the protesters and began to harass them. The organizers also said that the police used tear gas, referring to it as an “unprovoked attack.”
A police press officer told CNA that the role of the police at the protest site was to regulate traffic. “There was policing for security reasons, at some point the protesters stepped in the road, blocking one lane, the police closed the second lane as well, for their own safety and that of others using the road,” he said, adding that, according to the information he received, the road was reopened at around 8:00 p.m., but police forces remained in the area as a small number of protesters continue their presence.
Asked about reports of tear gas being used, he said the police had not received any such information and was therefore unable to confirm or deny the reports.
The protest was also supported by other organizations, such as United for Palestine and the Cyprus Peace Council, chanting slogans calling for an end to the genocide in Gaza, but also slogans against the stance of the Cypriot government.
In a statement to CNA, a representative of the Global Movement for Gaza Cyprus said that the protest concerned “the illegal interception of the Global Solidarity Flotilla Sumud by Israel in international waters, while Israel keeps Gaza under siege as an occupying power and essentially takes the flotilla’s crew hostage, a crew that they have branded as terrorists for wanting to deliver baby formula to a starving population, a crew that may very well face torture and humiliation in Israeli prisons as Israeli prisons are notoriously known well for that’.
She added that they also aimed to protest “against the Cypriot government for failing to abide by the International Court of Justice advisory opinion that all states should do everything in their power to prevent Israel from committing genocide”.
She also noted that the choice of location for the protest in front of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs was a message to the government to change its stance and condemn Israel, to assist in any way the current flotilla that it can and assist future flotillas because there will be others.
Asked if they would attempt to set sail from Cyprus, he said that this would depend on the resources they could secure, but noted that this was the goal.
“States have a duty to protect civilians, prevent collective punishment, and uphold the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination,” notes the World Movement for Gaza Cyprus, explaining that “detaining the Global Sumud Flotilla crew and obstructing humanitarian aid, Israel is in breach of these obligations, and governments that remain silent are complicit”.