From public to digital spaces: Spatial and media practices of the 2017 ‘Unite Cyprus Now’ peace protests

Cyprus is a divided country affected by long-term conflict between Greek-Cypriots and Turkish-Cypriots, but meeting among key politicians in Switzerland 2017 raised hopes that the 43-year division would come to an end. Ahead of this meeting, peace protests organised Unite Now (UCN) erupted Nicosia urging find solution. This study explores how UCN protest signage was used during demonstrations protesters’ practices intersected across physical digital spaces. Data collected through interview with activist, manifestations online three-year ethnographic monitoring site. The data analysis, informed Mediated Discourse Analysis, reveals UCN’s spatial media supported activism work enacting resistance, mobilising protests, sharing news from ground, circulating local global audiences counter-discourses unity peace. At same time, social actors against initiative affordances resemiotise signage, change its meaning re-circulate hegemonic nationalist discourses.