Residents of Akrotiri held a protest on Tuesday afternoon on the village’s main road, near the British Bases‘ radio station, against the planned installation of antennas in the area.
The demonstration was organised by the Akrotiri Residents’ Coordinating Action Committee, with residents expressing strong opposition to the antenna installation.
The protest’s central message was that “our health is not up for negotiation,” with organisers calling on residents to turn out in large numbers. Residents said they were concerned about the potential effects of the antennas on the health and quality of life of the local community.
Responding to the protest outside RAF Akrotiri, a Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) spokesperson said the SBA Administration respects the right to peaceful and lawful protest.
The spokesperson said the Administration is carrying out an infrastructure modernisation project at Akrotiri Salt Lake, which includes installing new equipment and upgrading existing infrastructure, and that it remains committed to close and transparent communication with key stakeholders throughout the project.
The start of works will be subject to the environmental assessment and public consultation procedures required by law, the spokesperson said, adding that the Administration is awaiting the necessary applications from the project’s implementing body before triggering those procedures.
The spokesperson clarified that current works at Akrotiri Salt Lake relate to routine maintenance and are not connected to the modernisation project, known as Project Atlas.
Citing a publicly available study, the spokesperson said its main finding was that “the main sources of radiofrequency fields were mobile telephony systems and national broadcast systems,” and that no increased incidence of cancer, congenital abnormalities or obstetric problems had been identified. The Administration said it had not identified any evidence indicating that this situation has changed.
The spokesperson said the Administration has informed the Cyprus government that it is willing to co-fund a further independent study. Existing monitoring arrangements, including those within the Akrotiri community, continuously provide the relevant Cypriot authorities with data on emissions from the equipment in question, the spokesperson said, adding that this monitoring will be strengthened through a proposal to install additional monitoring units at various points across the Salt Lake area.
