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A protest by the newly formed group: “National Anti-Colonial Platform” outside the British bases late Monday in Akrotiri turned violent when heavily-armed SBA police moved against them, according to Sigma TV.

Around 120 protesters threw firecrackers, rocks, sticks and even bottles and tried unsuccessfully to reach the entrance of the base in a demonstration that started at 6pm in Akrotiri, near Limassol.
 
The spokesperson for the bases said that four police officers were injured along with a television cameraman who was hit by a rock.
 
Sigma TV reported that many protesters were also injured as they were hit by police with batons. Two protesters, a man and a young woman were arrested by the police. Sigma also reported that the police unleashed dogs against the protesters.
 
The protest came as a response to a statement by British bases Commander G.E. Stacey who was quoted by Cyprus News Agency as saying that Britain does not have any plans to abandon the Base Areas and constant complaints by the Cypriots living in the areas that they are treated as second-rate citizens, as the British do not recognise that they have any human rights whatsoever.
 
The status of the bases is highly disputed, since the 1955 revolution that let to the liberation of Cyprus from British rule and its subsequent independence in 1960.
 
The British regard the bases as sovereign but separate from ordinary British territory. On the other hand Cypriots regard the bases as territory belonging to the Republic of Cyprus that is rented to Britain.
 
Since 1964 Britain has stopped paying any rent for the SBAs claiming that the money is not fairly distributed by the Cyprus Goverment. Some estimate the sum owed by British to be from a few hundred million to one billion pounds.
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Although both Cyprus and the United Kingdom are members of the European Union, the areas of the British bases in Cyprus are technically outside of the European Union and the natives of the areas are excluded from the British Overseas Territories Act of 2002, that gives the right to all who were British Overseas Territories citizens immediately prior to 21 May 2002 to automatically become full British Citizens.

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