Nicosia, Cyprus. More than 150 people gathered outside the presidential palace on Monday evening to protest the start of a multi-day meeting of the Gaza Board of Peace in Cyprus. The protest was organised by a coalition of advocacy groups and left-wing parties.
Protest outside presidential palace
The coalition included Alliance Against the Far Right, Fascism and Racism, Accept LGBTI, Kisa, Akel and Volt.
Protesters criticised Cyprus for allowing the meeting to take place in the country, although Cypriot authorities said Cyprus was not an organiser of the meeting. Chants included “Nikos, Nikos, you can’t hide. You’re supporting genocide,” referring to President Nikos Christodoulides, and “Justice is our demand. No support from Cypriot land.”
Criticism of the Board
The Board is a body organised by United States President Donald Trump and is intended to manage Gaza. More than six months after its creation, it has not taken over power from Hamas.
Protesters criticised the Board as a group of wealthy interests that does not respect Palestinian self-determination.
Speakers and protest display
Speakers included AcceptCY secretary Stephanos Stavros Evangelides and actress Popi Avraam.
“There is no such thing as an innocent when the meeting is a disgrace,” a speaker from Palestine Solidarity Action said during the protest, challenging the government’s position that it did not help organise the meetings. “When you rent your house to criminals, you do not get to claim clean hands because you’re sitting in the garden.”
Protesters also set up a display of bloodied sheets with children’s shoes and toys, along with poems written by Palestinian poets and in support of the Palestinian people. Organisers said the display represented the tens of thousands of children killed in Gaza since the Hamas-led attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
Meeting details unclear
The location of the Board of Peace meeting is an undisclosed resort, and there have been conflicting reports over whether the meeting will last two days or three days. It was not possible to confirm on Tuesday whether the meeting had gone ahead as planned because of the lack of public information.
According to The Times of Israel, participants include leaders of the group, including Tony Blair, and members of the committee of Palestinian officials who are meant to replace Hamas as the governing force in Gaza.
Blair had planned to meet President Nikos Christodoulides ahead of the Board of Peace meetings, but those plans were cancelled because of a flight cancellation. The two now plan to speak by phone.