A new trend appears to be emerging on the streets of European cities, where the familiar slogan “Free Palestine” is beginning to face an unexpected rival. It is “Free Cyprus”, a slogan that has appeared in graffiti shared on social media in recent days.

The first photographs came from Paris, followed by similar images from Munich, while new material from Edinburgh, Scotland, was published today. The main point of interest is that, according to the posts, some of the slogans supporting Cyprus have been written over older pro-Palestinian graffiti, in an apparent attempt to bring another unresolved issue of occupation, which has persisted for more than half a century, into the public debate.

From Paris to Munich

It began on 9 November, when the Visegrád 24 account on X published a photograph which, according to the post, was taken in Paris. The image shows the words “FREE CYPRUS” written in white on a metal surface.

The photograph was shared by many users, with comments referring to the Turkish invasion of 1974 and the continuing occupation of the northern part of the Republic of Cyprus. A day later, yesterday, the same account published a photograph from Munich, Germany, showing the slogan “FREE CYPRUS” on a fence.

The post was accompanied by the observation that “Free Palestine” graffiti in the West is now facing competition from “Free Cyprus”, claiming that similar messages have appeared in more European cities in recent weeks.

Edinburgh joins in

The most recent incident was made public today and concerns Edinburgh. In its relevant post, Visegrád 24 stated that members of the public had begun covering “Free Palestine” slogans and replacing them with “FREE CYPRUS”.

The practice gives these interventions a different dimension, as it is not limited to promoting a slogan in support of Cyprus, but uses the presence of pro-Palestinian messages to draw attention to another unresolved international issue.

A new form of online activism?

The emergence of these slogans is also of particular interest in terms of how they are being promoted internationally.

“Free Palestine” has been widely used in demonstrations, graffiti and other public interventions across European countries, particularly since the outbreak of the war in Gaza in October 2023.

The choice of “Free Cyprus” follows the same short and recognisable format, but shifts the focus to the Turkish occupation of Cyprus.

Where such replacement of slogans is indeed taking place, it could be interpreted as an attempt to highlight the Cyprus issue by contrasting it with a matter that already has a high profile in European public debate.

However, there is currently insufficient evidence to establish that the graffiti is the work of an organised movement with specific political direction, or that the practice has become widespread.

What is being observed is the emergence and online circulation of a slogan that links the debate over the liberation of occupied territories to Cyprus.

Whether “Free Cyprus” will remain limited to a handful of interventions or develop into a broader initiative remains an open question.

For now, the images from Paris, Munich and Edinburgh have succeeded in bringing back to social media a question that has concerned Cyprus for decades: When will the Turkish occupation end?