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- Ελληνικά
It is with feelings of debt and deep emotion that today, here at the Holy Church of Our Lady of Chryseleousis in Chada, we pay due tribute to the memory of the four heroes of the community. We remember and honour the hero-symbol of the EOKA struggle Evagoras Pallikaridis, the hero-survivor of the battles against the Turkish mutiny of 1963-64 Vladimiros Irakleous, the hero who died in the line of duty Andreas Christodoulou and the hero who died during the Turkish invasion of 1974 Herodotus Savvas, who, with absolute commitment to the values of freedom, justice and human dignity, consciously sacrificed their lives for our country.
The example of the heroes and the anonymous protagonists who defined the course of this country with their own path is a beacon of light for us. Their own stature, which stood up as a shield for faith and homeland and as a mound against any encroachments of the conquerors, wrote and teaches history.
The most golden page of the turbulent history of our Cyprus is the liberation struggle of EOKA 1955-59. A struggle that reflected the strong protest of a people against the injustice in which they lived and the contempt in which they were held by the British occupiers. Young fighters, teenage students, fiery priests, teachers, women, old people and even young children joined forces, participated en masse and took on the heavy burden of the national mission, believing fervently in the achievement of the sacred cause. The heroic student Evagoras Pallikaridis was born in 1938 in Tsada. Apart from the special love he had for Greek education and letters, his desire for freedom and for shaking off the colonial yoke was deeply rooted in his soul. It was this agonistic flame that he turned into poetic creation, often expressing through his lyrics his will to be at the forefront of the effort to conquer freedom "body and soul". The teenage poet, committed to the great struggle, was at the forefront of the people's anti-colonial demonstrations long before they began on April 1, 1955.
It is no coincidence that in 1953, the then fifteen-year-old Evagoras led the protests against the celebrations for the coronation of the Queen of Great Britain by lowering the English flag from the forecourt of the Jacobean Gymnasium. This first act of rebellion resulted in his arrest by the English authorities. Despite the fact that he was released because of his young age, Evagoras was now a mature man, a fully settled and conscious revolutionary.
In October 1955, again at the forefront of the student protest, which erupted this time over the death sentence of Michalakis Karoloi, he was accused by the English and put on trial. Since then, and in order to avoid trial, he continued his activities, now with a price on his head, in the mountains of Paphos. This action was halted by his arrest in December 1956. The charge of possession and trafficking of arms and his sentence of death revealed even more clearly the greatness of his brave soul. After his refusal to apply for clemency and the fruitless efforts that followed at the national and international level to prevent his hanging, Evagoras Pallikaridis took an uphill climb, took paths and faced the gallows fearlessly and proudly as the most important moment of his life.
This passage from the darkness of the gallows to the light of immortality left his indelible mark on the concept of philanthropy, making his magnificent sacrifice a reference point in the struggle for freedom. It was his manhood that led the other heroes we commemorate today to their own sacrifice of equal grandeur.
We commemorate and honour today another worthy son of Chada, the hero Vladimir Heraclius. Vladimir was born in 1939 in Chada and was nurtured with Greek Christian ideals. He joined the ranks of EOKA, actively participating, at the beginning of the national liberation struggle, in its actions to throw off the British yoke. It was this same love for his homeland that prompted him, at the outbreak of the Turkish insurgency in 1963, to join the volunteer groups aimed at defending the legitimate State. With the outbreak of a surprise attack by the Turks on 7 March 1964 against unarmed civilians in the Paphos market, Vladimir was quick to set up makeshift outposts to protect the population who were being indiscriminately attacked.
In the ensuing clashes in the Turkish quarter of Muttallou in Paphos, on Monday 9 March 1964, Vladimir Heracleous, despite being off duty, chose to participate in dealing with the Turkish attack. There, he was heroically killed by the storming enemy fire, signing with his sacrifice his own legacy for the defence of legality and freedom in our homeland.
A legacy that Andreas Christodoulou, the third heroic lad, born in 1946 in the community of Chada, followed faithfully. Raised with the threads of religion and nation, Christodoulou considered it his duty to defend the honour and dignity of his country. Still a student in high school, he spent many afternoons at the Chada police station, and upon graduation he volunteered as a special police officer. During the conflicts of 1963, he found himself on the front line of confrontation, and in order to defend the legitimate state he joined the Cypriot army in January 1965.
After general training in Geroskipou, he trained as a radio operator in the Intervasion, then served as a recruit in a border post in Abeliko, in the eastern part of Tillyria.
After general training in Geroskipou, he trained as a radio operator in the Intervasion, then served as a recruit in a border post in Abeliko, in the eastern part of Tillyria. On 9 April 1965, at the age of 19, he was shot dead by the Turkish outpost on duty, entering the pantheon of our country's heroes.
The Turkish insurgency, as a result of Turkey's expansionist policy, was only one of the many parameters that composed the scene in our country in the first years after the EOKA struggle.
The Turkish insurgency, as a result of Turkey's expansionist policy, was only one of the many parameters that composed the scene in our country in the first years after the EOKA struggle. The division of our people during that period and especially the coup of 15 July were the parameters that gave the occupying power the excuse to invade our country on 20 July 1974. Today, we commemorate and honour yet another heroic son of the heroic mother Chada who gave his life for the freedom of our Cyprus during the Turkish invasion, Herodotus Savva was born in 1954 and faithfully followed the heroic path of the rest of the brave men of the community. Serving in the 361 Infantry Battalion in Synchari, he fought fiercely with other soldiers against the Turkish invaders. From 16 August 1974, he was added to our long list of missing persons. According to testimonies, Herodotus was executed in cold blood by the Turks together with his fellow soldiers. His remains were found in a mass grave in 2013. The lad from Tsada was later buried with heroic honours in his hometown.
Ladies and gentlemen,
If today we can enjoy our rights as citizens of the independent state of the Republic of Cyprus, it is because in communities like Tsada brave brave men were raised. It is because in every inch of this island, men, women and children who have lived, fought and sacrificed throughout the ages have lived, fought and sacrificed with a love for their homeland deeply rooted in them. With the sweat and blood of these freedom fighters, the liberation struggle of 1955-59 was written, an epic of the soul that taught that man is glorified only when he preserves his dignity and fights for freedom and the common good. Unfortunately, however, the struggle did not bring what the fighters and the people of Cyprus really sought, even though the Treaty of Zurich-London, signed at its end, freed our country from the English yoke and established the Republic of Cyprus, which has been a support in the difficult times our country has gone through from then until today.
Our own tragic mistakes that followed the great struggle, culminating in the traitorous coup of 1974, gave the expansionist Turkey the opportunity to carry out its long-planned invasion of our territories. Today, 50 years later, much of our homeland is still under occupation. Turkey has been displaying the same intransigent attitude for decades and continues to usurp our properties, violate human rights, colonise, destroy our cultural heritage and claim the permanent presence of Turkish troops in Cyprus, disregarding the European acquis and ignoring international law.
As the unacceptable Turkish occupation continues, it is our duty, with unity and unanimity, to exhaust every peaceful effort to achieve a viable and workable solution. A solution fully compatible with the United Nations Resolutions on Cyprus, the principles of international legitimacy and the European acquis. A solution that will guarantee the human rights of every Cypriot citizen, freeing our country from occupying troops, invasive rights and dependencies on third countries.
The President of the Republic is focusing his efforts on this goal, seeking the resumption of talks that will lead to dialogue and a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue. We will remain committed to this objective, fulfilling our duty to deliver to future generations a free and prosperous homeland. This is the highest honour we owe to the sacrifice of the four brave men of Chada, the heroes Evagoras Pallikarides, Vladimir Heracleous, Andreas Christodoulou and Herodotus Savas. This is our obligation to all those who sacrificed their lives for the homeland. Let us listen to the messages of their heroic struggle and sacrifice. Honor and glory to their families.
(NΓ)
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