By Martin Hellicar
AN UNEASY calm returned to the Xylophagou area yesterday following Wednesday night’s clashes between bases police and local residents protesting over the clearing of forest land.
Bases spokesman captain Jon Brown condemned the “violent” actions of the protestors and defended the British army’s right to clear a firing range in the Xylophagou forest, which lies within the Dhekelia Sovereign Base Area (SBA).
The Green party called a press conference to attack the bases for arresting one of their members and felling trees, labelling both actions “illegal”.
Brown said seven bases policemen and two British soldiers had been injured in “scuffles” during Wednesday night’s protest on the Xylophagou to Ormidia road. A similar demonstration had been held in the same area the night before.
“SBA have no objection to peaceful protests. However, violent behaviour as displayed last night, which resulted in injuries of several SBA policeman and special constables is most definitely in breech of law and not peaceful in any way,” Brown said.
“This violent behaviour, which included large-scale stoning perpetrated by protestors, is to be deplored.”
The spokesman said three protestors – two of them women – had been arrested during the clashes but not held.
“Due to the size of the crowd, the three were dislodged by police and bundled into cars,” Brown said.
He said another man, Sotiris Christou, had been arrested in the firing range area earlier in the day.
Green party member Christou yesterday charged bases police with “illegally” arresting him for parking his car in the Xylophagou forest and then keeping him handcuffed in solitary confinement for seven hours overnight without allowing him access to a phone or a doctor.
Brown denied the allegations, saying Christou had only been held for three hours and was not handcuffed while in detention. “He was released on bail to reappear before a bases court to face charges of criminal traffic obstruction, traffic obstruction and obstructing a public thoroughfare,” Brown said.
Brown also dismissed Green party allegations that bases police had acted “aggressively and not at all politely” towards party members who tried to visit the firing range on Wednesday afternoon.
Green party leader George Perdikis also charged the bases with illegally clearing state forest land in a covert effort to create a firing range.
“This operation is obviously being carried out for the creation of a firing range and not for reasons of protection of the natural environment. The aim is to create a firing range and to get rid of the farmers from the area,” Perdikis said.
He handed journalists copies of a 1987 Forestry Department licence issued to a Xylophagou farmer allowing him to plant acacias in area now being cleared.
Brown countered that the area being cleared was “part of land belonging to the bases and designated for military use.”
He denied any covert action on the part of the bases: “We have no hidden agenda.”
“This is an operation to remove trees illegally planted on MOD land in order to create a firing range,” Brown said.
The greens vowed to continue to campaign against British army exercises and forest destruction anywhere on the island.
The tree-cutting continued yesterday.
