Akrotiri: Around 300 people expressed their opposition to plans by the British Bases to install a new antenna system in the Merra area of Akrotiri during a peaceful protest organised by the Kourion Municipality on Saturday morning outside the Akrotiri Base. Mayor Pantelis Georgiou handed a relevant resolution to a representative of the bases. According to Cyprus News Agency, the resolution calls for the immediate suspension of all work relating to the installation of new surveillance antennas, a review of the plans considering the concerns of local communities, full transparency and official information regarding the purpose and potential impact of the installations, both on human health and the environment. It also calls for meaningful dialogue with the Republic of Cyprus, local authorities, and citizens before any further development of military infrastructure. The protest was organised in cooperation with a number of groups, following a requisition order issued by the British bases for the Merra area, am id consultations with the local authorities. Pantelis Georgiou said that the protest was not about hostility towards a people, 'but about love for our homeland', 'because we believe that every community has the right to protect its environment, its quality of life and the future of its children'. Akrotiri, he said, is not simply a place on a map, but an area of unique natural beauty, a wetland of international importance, and a place of history, culture, and life in Cyprus. 'It is its people, it is the families who live here, it is the children who dream of their future on this land,' he added. Expressing his opposition to the installation of new military antennas, the Mayor of Kourion said that citizens were calling for respect for residents, respect for the environment, and respect for the voice of the local community. At the same time, he called on the Republic of Cyprus to stand alongside the citizens and defend the right of local communities to have a say in decisions affecting their future. He stres sed that 'the voice of a people defending its land cannot be ignored'. In a brief address, Akrotiri Deputy Mayor Giorgos Konstantinou said that the march should send a message to the British bases 'that we will not negotiate over our health, our property or our environment'. He also thanked those who took part and called on them, as well as all Limassol residents, to stand alongside the Municipality of Kourion in any future mobilisation concerning the antennas. The protesters then marched towards the entrance of the British Bases in Akrotiri, carrying placards and banners bearing slogans such as 'No to the antennas of death', 'Our health is not negotiable' and 'The human right to life, health, property and the environment'. The Mayor of Kourion handed over the resolution to a representative of the British bases. The resolution expresses opposition to the installation and operation of surveillance antennas and any other military infrastructure in Akrotiri which reinforces the military character of the area and which could endanger the safety and health of citizens. The residents also express concern that further militarisation of the area, particularly at a time of heightened international tensions, raises serious concerns regarding security, peace, and stability. Britain, a former colonial power, has retained two military bases and other sites in Cyprus after it granted the island its independence in 1960.