Animal Party Criticises BirdLife Cyprus for Skipping Protest Against Elam’s Environmental Debate

The Animal Party on Saturday publicly rebuked BirdLife Cyprus for not attending a protest organized by the party on September 16 outside parliament. The protest opposed Elam’s decision to table a discussion on “environmental activists and the phenomena surrounding them” at the House environment committee meeting. The party leader Kyriacos Kyriacou had contacted BirdLife representatives before the protest, but the NGO declined to participate, citing concerns about its public image and the expected turnout. The Animal Party questioned why an organisation tasked with protecting wild birds would abstain from a public demonstration that coincided with a joint letter signed by 18 civil‑society groups urging parliament to address poaching. BirdLife had also expressed displeasure at being excluded from the committee session, where MP Yiorgos Loukaides accused the committee chair and Elam MP of targeting environmental groups. Game service chief Pantelis Hadjiyerou added that hunters were being “terrorised” by activists, further inflaming the debate. The incident highlights a growing rift among environmental stakeholders and raises questions about the effectiveness of coordinated advocacy in influencing parliamentary policy.