War fuels debate in Cyprus over UK military bases
A drone strike on a British airbase in Cyprus has reignited an enduring debate about the UK’s presence on the island.
It’s a week since the drone punched a hole in a hangar at RAF Akrotiri.
That hole, for some in Britain, symbolises embarrassing gaps in UK hard power.
For some in Cyprus, it’s another unwelcome result of British military overreach.
“We just want to have an independent Cyprus,” said local business owner Natasha Theodotou.
She was holding a banner that read “British Bases Out” at a demonstration outside the presidential palace in the capital, Nicosia.
“Just as we’re occupied by the Turkish government,” said Natasha, “we are occupied by the UK.”