Anti-occupation protest held in Deryneia

On Saturday, August 1, 2026, an anti-occupation event took place at the Famagusta Municipality Cultural Centre in Deryneia, Cyprus. Participants organized a march to the nearby Deryneia barricade, which serves as a crossing point on the road connecting Deryneia to the fenced-off city of Famagusta via the occupied village of Kato Deryneia.

The demonstration served as a protest against the continued military occupation of the area by Turkey. Residents from Kato Deryneia, including Michalis, Andreas, Varnavas, Panayiotis, and others, carried banners to the perimeter of the military zone. The area remains inaccessible due to high barbed wire fencing installed by Turkish military forces, which prevents displaced residents from visiting their former homes, leaving them only with visual contact of the ruined and abandoned properties.

This protest highlights the ongoing plight of those displaced by the occupation, emphasizing the personal and emotional significance of the lost territory to the former residents who grew up there. The event functioned as a collective public initiative to keep the issue of the occupied territories visible while acknowledging that no physical access to the village of Kato Deryneia is currently permitted.