Occupy Buffer Zone (OBZ) was a

protest movement A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration, or remonstrance) is a public act of objection, disapproval or dissent against political advantage. Protests can be thought of as acts of cooperation in which numerous people cooperate ...

that began on October 15, 2011 by

Greek Cypriot Greek Cypriots (, ) are the ethnic Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest ethnolinguistic community. According to the 2023 census, 719,252 respondents recorded their ethnicity as Greek, forming almost 99% of the 737,196 Cypri ...

and

Turkish Cypriot Turkish Cypriots or Cypriot Turks ( or ; ) are so called ethnic Turks originating from Cyprus. Turkish Cypriots are mainly Sunni Muslims. Following the Ottoman conquest of the island in 1571, about 30,000 Turkish settlers were given land onc ...

activists, in the

Ledra Street Ledra Street ( ''Odos Lidras''; ) is a major shopping thoroughfare in central Nicosia, Cyprus, which links North Nicosia, the part of the city under the control of the ''de facto'' Northern Cyprus, and south Nicosia. It is the site of the forme ...

checkpoint, in

Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...

Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the List of isl ...

. The movement began with a weekly occupation of the checkpoint, which is located in the

buffer zone A buffer zone, also historically known as a march, is a neutral area that lies between two or more bodies of land; usually, between countries. Depending on the type of buffer zone, it may serve to separate regions or conjoin them. Common types o ...

that divides the island's territory and capital into the self-declared

Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus Northern Cyprus, officially the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC), is a '' de facto'' state that comprises the northeastern portion of the island of Cyprus. It is recognised only by Turkey, and its territory is considered by all o ...

and the

Republic of Cyprus Cyprus (), officially the Republic of Cyprus, is an island country in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Situated in West Asia, its cultural identity and geopolitical orientation are overwhelmingly Southeast European. Cyprus is the third lar ...

since the

Turkish invasion of Cyprus The Turkish invasion of Cyprus began on 20 July 1974 and progressed in two phases over the following month. Taking place upon a background of Cypriot intercommunal violence, intercommunal violence between Greek Cypriots, Greek and Turkish Cy ...

in 1974. On November 19 of 2011 the occupation of the buffer zone became permanent. Influenced by the global

Occupy Movement The Occupy movement was an international populist Social movement, socio-political movement that expressed opposition to Social equality, social and economic inequality and to the perceived lack of real democracy around the world. It aimed primar ...

, Occupy Buffer Zone aimed to protest and publicise the problems of the global economic and political system, as well as to raise awareness of how "the

Cyprus Problem The Cyprus problem, also known as the Cyprus conflict, Cyprus issue, Cyprus dispute, or Cyprus question, is an ongoing dispute between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot community in the north of the island of Cyprus, where troops of th ...

is but one of the many symptoms of an unhealthy global system". The movement emphasised the connection between the development of the Cyprus problem and the economic and political interests associated with the international economic and political

status quo is a Latin phrase meaning the existing state of affairs, particularly with regard to social, economic, legal, environmental, political, religious, scientific or military issues. In the sociological sense, the ''status quo'' refers to the curren ...

Occupy Buffer Zone's general statement

The following text is the movement's general statement that was distributed to passers by in the buffer zone. "This is an inclusive movement functioning within some principal umbrella concepts for which we initially united, these are: -The reunification of Cyprus. -To raise awareness of how the Cyprus Problem is but one of the many symptoms of an unhealthy global system. It is important to elaborate on the intended inclusiveness of the last point. We have occupied the space of the buffer zone to express with our presence our mutual desire for reunification and to stand in solidarity with the wave of unrest which has come as a response to the failings of the global systemic paradigm. We want to promote understanding of the local problem within this global context and in this way show how the Cyprus Problem is but one of the many symptoms of an unhealthy system. In this way, we have reclaimed the space of the buffer zone to create events (screenings, talks etc.) and media of these events, which relate to the system as a whole and its numerous and diverse consequences. Opinions expressed in this manner are not necessarily of the entire group, only the umbrella points of reunification and solidarity with the global movement can be assumed to be."

Development

The movement began on 15 October 2011 with a weekly occupation of the buffer zone in Ledra/Lokmacı street in Nicosia. A group of about 20 Greek and Turkish Cypriot activists had gathered in

Eleftheria Square Eleftheria Square (; ); literally meaning Liberty Square, is the main square in central Nicosia, the capital city of Cyprus, in Europe. It forms the intersection of Ledra and Onasagorou streets with Stasinou, Omirou, Kostaki Pantelidi, Konstand ...

in Nicosia as a response to the global call for a protest on the 15th of October. Through discussion they decided to move the occupation from the Eleftheria Square to the buffer zone located in the Ledra/Lokmacı street. The buffer zone was occupied subsequently on the 22nd and the 29th of October and the 5th of November. On the 19th of November activists set up

tents A tent is a shelter consisting of sheets of fabric or other material draped over or attached to a frame of poles or a supporting rope. While smaller tents may be free-standing or attached to the ground, large tents are usually anchored using g ...

and made camp in the buffer zone for the night. The decision was then taken that the occupation would become permanent. On 1 January 2012 the activists further occupied the abandoned buildings that were located in the buffer zone. The buildings have been used by the movement for its

cultural Culture ( ) is a concept that encompasses the social behavior, institutions, and Social norm, norms found in human societies, as well as the knowledge, beliefs, arts, laws, Social norm, customs, capabilities, Attitude (psychology), attitudes ...

and

political Politics () is the set of activities that are associated with decision-making, making decisions in social group, groups, or other forms of power (social and political), power relations among individuals, such as the distribution of Social sta ...

activities, such as hosting and developing various

workshops Beginning with the Industrial Revolution era, a workshop may be a room, rooms or building which provides both the area and tools (or machinery) that may be required for the manufacture or repair of manufactured goods. Workshops were the only ...

and the movement's General Assemblies. The

United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) The United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) is a UN peacekeepers, United Nations Peacekeeping Force that was established under United Nations Security Council Resolution 186 in 1964 to prevent a recurrence of fighting following Cyp ...

asked the activists to leave the buffer zone on 14 January 2012 claiming that the occupation did not meet United Nations' regulation for activities in the buffer zone, but it did not employ any forceful methods for the evacuation of the area. After the

police The police are Law enforcement organization, a constituted body of Law enforcement officer, people empowered by a State (polity), state with the aim of Law enforcement, enforcing the law and protecting the Public order policing, public order ...

raid on 6 April 2012, the movement's activities and organisation began to fade. By June 2012, the occupation of the buffer zone was essentially over.

Police raid

On 6 April 2012, a strong

force from the

gathered in the area occupied by the activists and raided the occupied buildings at around 10:15pm. The operation included the anti-terrorist department and the anti-drug department of the police force. Policemen, equipped with

guns A gun is a device that propels a projectile using pressure or explosive force. The projectiles are typically solid, but can also be pressurized liquid (e.g. in water guns or cannons), or gas (e.g. light-gas gun). Solid projectiles may be ...

helmets A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the Human head, head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a Custodian helmet, policeman's helmet in the Unite ...

and batons smashed the door and entered the building. A sequence of screaming and sounds of smashing and breaking followed. The police reported that it made 28 arrests, including 11 minors and that it had confiscated 1 gram of

cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae that is widely accepted as being indigenous to and originating from the continent of Asia. However, the number of species is disputed, with as many as three species be ...

. The police was reported to have used excessive and unjustified violence in the operation. Eyewitnesses reported that the police repeatedly hit a 24-year-old woman, "causing a massive bump to her forehead, as well as multiple cuts and bruises". Reports were also made of

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act of sexual abuse in which one intentionally Physical intimacy, sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or Coercion, coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their w ...

on a 19-year-old woman, the beating of two activists that were arrested in the building, and for unjustified violence on the crowd of activists and passers by that had gathered outside the building. A demonstration against police brutality and the police raid was organised on 12 April by political student magazine Skapoula, whose members had been participating in the movement and were arrested by the police on 6 April.

Images

File:Obz 15oct eleftheria.jpg, First meeting of the Occupy Buffer Zone movement in Eleftheria Square, 15 of October, 2011. File:Tents occupybufferzone.jpg, Tents of protesters at Ledra/Lokmacı checkpoint, December 2011. File:Tents occupybufferzone2.jpg, Tents and a protester's bicycle at Ledra/Lokmacı checkpoint, December 2011. File:Banner obz.jpg, Banner raised above the Ledra/Lokmacı checkpoint, welcoming passers by. On the bottom right one can read a poster saying "You are now entering the divided part of Cyprus". December 2011. File:Library obz.jpg, The beginning of what later became the Occupy Buffer Zone library, December 2011. File:Leaflets occupy buffer zone.jpg, Various leaflets that were distributed by the movement. File:Window obz.jpg, Window of occupied building, with a

Guy Fawkes Guy Fawkes (; 13 April 1570 – 31 January 1606), also known as Guido Fawkes while fighting for the Spanish, was a member of a group of provincial English Catholics involved in the failed Gunpowder Plot of 1605. He was born and educate ...

mask placed next to it.

Guy Fawkes mask The Guy Fawkes mask (also known as the ''V for Vendetta'' mask) is a stylised depiction of Guy Fawkes (the best-known member of the Gunpowder Plot, an attempt to blow up the House of Lords in London on 5 November 1605) created by illustrator ...

s have often been used as a symbol of resistance in the

Occupy movement The Occupy movement was an international populist Social movement, socio-political movement that expressed opposition to Social equality, social and economic inequality and to the perceived lack of real democracy around the world. It aimed primar ...

. File:Courtyard obz.jpg, View from inside the small courtyard of the occupied building. File:Obzbalcony.jpg, Balcony of occupied building at Occupy Buffer Zone. The banner refers to the

Cyprus Dispute The Cyprus problem, also known as the Cyprus conflict, Cyprus issue, Cyprus dispute, or Cyprus question, is an ongoing dispute between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot community in the north of the island of Cyprus, where troops of t ...

. File:Stand_obz_police.jpg, Stand at Occupy Buffer Zone on 12 April 2012, used to inform passers by earlier in the day for the demonstration against the police raid of the movement. File:Obz protest pili pafou.jpg, The demonstration against the police raid organised by Skapoula student magazine, passing outside Pafos Gate police station in Nicosia. The activists arrested in the raid were taken to this station a week before. File:Obz_reoccupied.jpg, The buffer zone reoccupied at the end of the march against the police raid on 12 April 2012. File:Obz june2012.png, The buffer zone as seen in June 2012.

Barbed wire Roll of modern agricultural barbed wire Barbed wire, also known as barb wire or bob wire (in the Southern and Southwestern United States), is a type of steel fencing wire constructed with sharp edges or points arranged at intervals along the ...

is seen over the space used by the protesters during the last weeks of the occupation.

References

External links