Fw: Largest Anti-War Demo; Britain Threatens To Arrest CypriotsIn Own Country]

["Nello Margiotta" <animarg at tin.it>]

>
>
> Subject: Largest Anti-War Demo; Britain Threatens To Arrest Cypriots In
Own Country
> Date: 31 Mar 2003 02:13:04 -0800
>
> http://www.ptd.net/webnews/wed/cb/Qiraq-war-demos-cyprus.RhdG_DMU.html
>
> Britain warns of arrests after violent Iraq war
> protest at Cyprus base
>
> -It was the largest anti-war demonstration on the
> island so far....
> -[T]here were fiery speeches by prominent politicians
> condemning the United States and Britain for creating
> "another Vietnam" and chants of "Bush and Blair go
> home...."
> -As in the 1991 Gulf War, the British bases in Cyprus
> are playing a logistics, refuelling and monitoring
> role in the new US-led war against Iraq.
>
>
>
>
>
> NICOSIA, March 30 (AFP) - British officials warned
> arrests might follow after stone-throwing and
> vandalism marred a protest against the US-led war in
> Iraq at a British air base in Cyprus Sunday.
>
> Some 6,000 Cypriots gathered at the base at Akrotiri
> on the south coast in the island's biggest
> demonstration so far.
>
> "It is inconvenient, and we find it sad that people
> have to resort to this kind of behaviour," bases
> spokesman Rob Need told AFP.
>
> It was the largest anti-war demonstration on the
> island so far, but the event turned sour when some of
> the crowd threw stones and plastic water bottles at
> bases riot police lining the entrance to Akrotiri.
>
> "There was a great family atmosphere which was spoilt
> by a minority who did cause damage, daubed red paint
> on signs and were aggressive in making their opinions
> known," said Need.
>
> He said there no arrests at the time but suggested
> there could be at a later stage.
>
> The RAF Akrotiri badge mounted on a small wall marking
> the entrance to the base was vandalised and "No War"
> graffiti was spray-painted on the road and security
> barriers outside.
>
> Among the crowd were a large number of foreigners,
> including Iraqi and Palestinian students waving the
> Iraqi flag and shouting that the "enemies of humanity
> must die".
>
> Earlier, there were fiery speeches by prominent
> politicians condemning the United States and Britain
> for creating "another Vietnam" and chants of "Bush and
> Blair go home" accompanied by the banging of drums.
>
> In reference to recent bombing of Iraqi civilians,
> there were many placards proclaiming: "Bush and Blair
> baby killers".
>
> The protest was organised by left-wing political and
> trade union organisations, including the communist
> party Akel which has a major say in the coalition
> government of the Greek Cypriot south of the divided
> island.
>
> As in the 1991 Gulf War, the British bases in Cyprus
> are playing a logistics, refuelling and monitoring
> role in the new US-led war against Iraq.
>
> Akrotiri is also playing a medical evacuation role
> where troops can receive emergency treatment or be
> airlifted to Britain. The first batch of British
> combat-wounded soldiers were treated at Akrotiri
> hospital earlier this week, before being flown home.
>
> Heavy air traffic through the base has been centred on
> the supply of fuel to coalition aircraft, involving a
> fleet of tanker aircraft, and on flying supplies to US
> aircraft carriers in the region.
>
> Britain's largest RAF base overseas also had its
> operational capability beefed up, enabling Akrotiri to
> cope with an increased volume of aircraft.
>
> Britain has maintained two sovereign base areas on
> Cyprus since the Mediterranean island gained
> independence from the colonial power in 1960.
>
>
>
>