It is already 68 years since the morning that was recorded in history as the beginning of the saga of the Cypriot fighters of EOKA against colonialism. It was April 1, 1955 when Cypriots decided to send the message that they could no longer tolerate being enslaved and second-class citizens, in what was described as the period of decolonization, when all peoples, one by one, began to throw off the shackles of slavery and conquer their freedom.
April 1 marked the beginning of the liberation struggle of EOKA 1955-59. A struggle that has been engraved in gold in the lives of all those who participated in the great uprising, but also in the historical consciousness of all the generations that followed.
The operations began on the night of 31 March and continued until the dawn of 1 April with simultaneous attacks in various parts of Cyprus. The strikes targeted government buildings and military installations of the occupier. The message was narrow and was heard across the globe.
A small people, a group of people with Archbishop Makarios as their political leader and General Georgios Grivas Digenis as their military leader, were taking on the great British Empire.
They were accused by British propaganda and the British press of being terrorists.
They were accused by British propaganda and the British press of being terrorists. They were hunted, tortured, killed by the colonial regime, but they were not deterred, because the desire for freedom, the desire for union with Greece, the desire and the vision to live as free men who could determine their own destiny and the future of their country, burned within them.
The people as a whole responded to the call of the fighters, spearheaded by the student youth, with demonstrations, carrying messages and spreading a shield of protection to the heroes-fighters, constructing and guarding the legendary hideouts that the children of EOKA received in their wombs, both in the cities and in the villages.
The wonderful struggle left its indelible mark in history, with the blood of the fighters watering the tree of freedom. Modestos Pantelis was the first to die on April 1, followed by Afxentiou, Matsis, Pallikaridis, Karolis, and so many others whom we commemorate and thank because they gave to the struggle and to the homeland what was most precious to them. Their own lives. And they did it with the utmost dignity. With their hand on the Gospel and the National Anthem on their lips. From 1878, with the arrival of the British who replaced the Ottomans as the conquerors of the island, they raised the demand for integration into the national body. They expected and hoped that they would have the fate of the Ionian islands ceded by Britain to Greece in 1864.
Unfortunately, however, their hopes were dashed. Cyprus was of strategic importance to the British. In 1925 it was declared a colony of the crown and the first revolt in 1931 with the October uprising was suppressed, resulting in the brutal dictatorship of Governor Richmond Palmer.
The beginning of the Second World War and the massive participation of Cypriots on the side of Greece and the allies again created expectations that with the end of the war the British, who again left promises floating in the air, would listen to the national desires and aspirations of the Cypriots.
But the hopes were again dashed. The rejection of Greece's appeals to the United Nations and Colonial Secretary of State Henry Hopkinson's "Never" in the British Parliament on 28 July 1954 dashed hopes and led to the swearing in of the EOKA fighters and the beginning of the epic liberation struggle, at the end of which Cyprus was finally led to independence.
Today, looking back, some people judge the struggle and its significance with hindsight analyses, ignoring the historical context of the time that favoured peoples breaking the shackles of colonialism and gaining their independence. But history cannot be erased, nor can it be altered. It can only teach.
The liberation struggle of EOKA 1955-59 led to the independence and freedom of the Cypriot people. And for this we are grateful to the fighters who gave their lives during this wonderful struggle.
Today, the Republic of Cyprus as a member state of the European Union has a very important role to play, actively participating in all policies and processes concerning the great European Family, as a pillar of stability and security in the wider Eastern Mediterranean region. Maintaining and deepening relations with the countries of the region through the cooperation developed in recent years is a strategic objective of the Republic of Cyprus.
Invariably, the major objective is the resolution of the Cyprus problem, the liberation from occupation, the return of refugees and the determination of the fate of the missing persons.
A solution of a bizonal federation, as outlined in the relevant UN resolutions, with full respect for human rights and the European acquis. This is the focus of the efforts of the President of the Republic Mr. Nicos Christodoulides for a more active participation of the European Union in the Cyprus settlement process, despite the negative attitude of the Turkish side.
We owe the continuation of the effort to those who fought and gave their lives so that we can breathe the air of freedom today. We owe it to the fighters of EOKA, we owe it to our homeland, we owe it to ourselves and to the future of our children.
(MB)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs to PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
