Fishermen, quarry in Xylofagou protest over Bases firing range

Businesses and fishermen in Xylofagou staged protests on Monday against the British Bases’ firing range in Dhekelia, citing blocked quarry expansion plans and declining monthly incomes, respectively.

Companies in the Xylofagou quarry area blocked the firing range to protest the authorities’ failure to review their application for the quarry’s expansion.

Speaking on their behalf, Constantinos Kypris said the Famagusta and Larnaca districts “are being trapped.”

“There are no materials for people to work, to build houses, to construct roads, and 60 families in the quarries, in addition to 100 external collaborators, are directly affected,” he explained,

Claiming that the situation is causing problems for the construction industry, Kypris said that “we do not want to be here, but they are forcing us with the problem created by the environment department of the British Bases.”

The situation, he said, has been frozen since 2018. “Our patience has run out, and we won’t leave here until they give us the green light to get the materials we need to work,” he said.

Kypris proposed two solutions: either bypassing the environmental studies demanded by the British Bases’ environment department, which the Cyprus government deemed unnecessary, or allocating a worksite in the buffer zone adjacent to the firing range.

Over the past eight years, he added, his group has made numerous efforts and complied with every demand – including studies – while overcoming obstacles.

He warned that measures may escalate.

A British Bases spokesperson said the administration respects the right to peaceful, lawful protest and remains fully committed to supporting the Xylofagou quarry operators’ expansion request, in line with legal requirements.

He said there was ongoing contact with the Cyprus government throughout the process and acknowledged its support.

Fishermen protesting at the Xylofagou fishing shelter said the nearby firing range’s operations are causing their income to decline month by month.

Speaking for the group, Andreas Mouzouris pointed to the firing range as a source of severe sea pollution that has decimated fish stocks.

He also highlighted access restrictions that bar fishermen from their usual grounds due to frequent live-fire exercises.

“We are asking that they leave here or that they compensate the fishermen because it is a shame that so many families depend on the British Bases. We are 12 professional fishermen in the area,” he said.

Mouzouris also pointed out that fishermen frequently retrieve bombs and other metal debris with their nets, adding that they have videos and documents to prove it.

He stressed that “we held a peaceful protest, but we’ll keep going until they listen to us.”