Ahead of the upcoming court hearing of Oz Karahan and Giorgos Tattis in Nicosia, a group of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots once again gathered outside the High Commission of Cyprus in London to express their solidarity.
Karahan and Tattis were forcibly and unlawfully arrested on October 1, 2024, while attempting to display banners reading “Republic of Cyprus: The Only Solution” and “Apartheid is not a Solution” during Independence Day celebrations in Cyprus.
Speaking at the protest, Eren Ali, a representative of the Union of Cypriots, stated:
“A European country is arresting two of its citizens who are fighting against the injustice that has persisted in Cyprus for 50 years. They are fighting to put justice on the table after the world has failed to deliver it to us.”
Anastasia Gavalas, a member of the Union of Cypriots, added:
“We’re here today to show solidarity with Oz Karahan and Giorgos Tattis, who have been unjustly arrested for speaking out against the imperialist solution to the Cyprus problem, which is a bizonal bicommunal federation.
Another member of the Cypriot Union, Chloe Louca Berry, added:
“As diaspora Cypriots, we stand here in the UK in support of Cyprus, a unitary state, and the right of return. We stand for the right of return for all people displaced from their home, whether in Cyprus, Sudan, Congo, or Palestine.”
A representative from the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS), also present at the protest, remarked:
“We are here because it is legitimate to question the occupation of Cyprus. It is legitimate to ask why NATO bases remain on the island. And it is legitimate to challenge why a bizonal bicommunal federation is presented as the only solution when, clearly, the solution is a unitary Cyprus.”
Among the demonstrators were Irish activists advocating for both Irish and Cypriot liberation, holding signs that read “No border in Ireland, No border in Cyprus.”
Demonstrators unfurled a banner with the same text that led to the arrest of Karahan and Tattis in Cyprus, displaying it in front of the High Commission of Cyprus in London. They also held placards reading ‘Solidarity with Karahan & Tattis.
Oz Karahan and Giorgos Tattis are scheduled to appear before the Nicosia District Court again on Wednesday, March 12, 2025, at 08:30.
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