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Occupy Buffer Zone

Occupy Buffer Zone
Part of Occupy protests
Occupy The Buffer Zone.jpg
Date 15 October 2011 - June 2012
Location Buffer Zone, between the Ledra/Lokmacı Checkpoints, Nicosia, Cyprus
Also known as: OBZ, Occupying the Invisible Green Line, 15th of October Movement, No Borders Camp.

Occupy Buffer Zone (OBZ) was a protest movement that began on October 15, 2011 by Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot activists, in the Ledra/Lokmacı checkpoint, in Nicosia, Cyprus. The movement began with a weekly occupation of the checkpoint, which is located in the buffer zone that divides the island's territory and capital into the self-declared Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Republic of Cyprus since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. On November 19 of 2011 the occupation of the buffer zone became permanent.

Influenced by the global Occupy Movement, 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 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.

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."


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