The British Prime Minister and the President of the Republic of Cyprus have something in common: they both purport not to be involved in the current hostilities involving the US, Israel and Iran. In the meantime, the British bases in Cyprus have been made available to the Americans to conduct strikes against Iran, while the President of Cyprus, who has positioned Cyprus as a close ally of Israel, has not publicly engaged in strong diplomatic efforts to oppose the use of Cyprus to attack Iran.

As hypocrisy goes, the British PM took it a step further, making the case that using the British bases in Cyprus to launch US aircraft to attack Iranian targets is somehow a defensive strategy. He argued that since British anti-missile systems cannot intercept all drones and missiles, the best way to defend oneself (read: the British forces stationed in Cyprus) is to attack Iran directly. But rest assured, the UK is not involved in this war.

In the meantime, drone strikes have been reported at the British bases, and one of the two national airports was evacuated two days ago, all the while General Sardar Jabbari of the IRGC reportedly said that “the Americans have moved most of their aircraft to Cyprus” and that Iran will target Cyprus “with such intensity that the Americans will be forced to leave the island.”

The British Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia are territories under British jurisdiction. An antiquated remnant of colonialism that never commanded broad national support. Nevertheless, successive Cypriot governments have been reluctant to touch this hot potato and have been burying their heads in the sand every time the bases were used in regional conflicts. The public was rather indifferent – not happy, but not willing to act. The sentiment has now shifted. So much so that even the former Attorney-General, hardly a bleeding-heart liberal, argued that there is a legal basis to reconsider the status of the SBAs, which then prompted the President to express his “dissatisfaction” with the British PM.

It is now high time for Cyprus to gain full independence, without other countries claiming part of its land and, most notably, without third parties that are not accountable to the local population taking decisions that endanger everyone on the island. This is what is happening now: the British government decided to avail the bases to the Americans, despite the foreseeable risk of retaliation from Iran, without any consideration for the Cypriots. And when the whole affair backfired and bombs and drones started coming, the announcement coming from the Bases only related to their own personnel, and not to the neighbouring communities affected; communities which had to move overnight to avoid the danger zone and close their schools. After all, such is the destiny of colonies: mere collateral.

As we speak, the British bases appear unable to fully defend themselves, with at least one drone reportedly striking infrastructure, thankfully without any loss of life. They entered this war and dragged Cyprus along, without any consultation with the Republic of Cyprus, and without the ability to provide protection. And in the aftermath of the attacks, all actions were destined to solely serve the interests of their personnel. Cyprus being a mere collateral, and Cypriots wondering whether they are citizens or whether they continue to be subjects.

In the meantime, two Greek frigates and four F-16 fighter jets arrived, with more support expected from France and the UK. Essentially, rather than demand that the British stop using the SBAs to support the US in its most recent war, we are militarizing the area further. And while the war machine is active and well, with EU countries using Cyprus to justify joining this war, the Civil Defence can only accommodate 45% of its population in shelters, also lacking basic services such as a mass-notification system. Cyprus also does not have an Iron Dome like its close ally, and its core infrastructure is vulnerable to even basic attacks. What the Cypriots increasingly experience is that militarisation does not automatically equal security, and that political decisions that were dismissed as mere communication tricks, such as the announcements of “strategic alliances,” are now placing everyone on the island at risk.

For decades, Cypriots tolerated the British military bases as something inconvenient but not worth dealing with. This illusion is no more. When decisions taken in Downing Street translate to emergency sirens, evacuations and closed schools, indifference ends. For sovereignty to have true meaning, the population must have control over decisions that endanger them, to subject these decisions to democratic control. Otherwise, Cyprus is not fully independent – merely a strategically convenient location.