A part of Cypriot history that I believe remains relatively unknown to us and the rest of the world is the anti-colonial struggle against the British in the ‘50s, that proved with deeds, not just words, that yes, Hellenes can still astound humanity by the quality of their spirit. A new line of martyrs, of real heros that could inspire every generarion and every nationality, rose from that struggle and although politics did not let their dream come true to the fullest, it made us reaffirm the belief in everything we stand for as Hellenes. To use a phrase, one of just very few that I happened to like from former President Bush, “those folks had their priorities straight!” Moreover, that part of Cyprus history sheds light on today’s facts on the ground and why it’s so hard to find a solution to the island’s division after the brutal Turkish invasion.

As we read, “in 1955, after a long but unsuccessful struggle to attain their freedom by peaceful means, the people of Cyprus took up arms against the colonial power under the EOKA .(Ethiniki Organosis Kypriakou Agonos = National Organization of Cypriot Struggle), demanding the end of colonialism and union with Greece. The British Government, in its attempt to thwart the Cyprus people's aspirations for self-determination, exploited the presence in Cyprus of the Turkish Cypriot minority, and sought assistance from Turkey in obstructing the natural trend of events in Cyprus. The British Government threatened that if self determination were ever to be achieved in Cyprus, the result would be the partition of the island since the Turkish Cypriot minority would be offered the right to self-determination separately. That threat might have been intended to discourage the Cypriot people's struggle for freedom, but its consequences were quite different. Instead, the partition of Cyprus became an objective of Turkish foreign policy and a number of Turkish Cypriots took up arms against the Cypriot freedom fighters while the Turkish Cypriot leadership advocated either partition or the continuation of British colonial rule.” The divide and rule principle in exemplary application!

During the epic struggle against the British colonial forces - under the leadership of Sir (sic) John Harding, synonymous with brutality in Cyprus - a number of young heroic figures sprouted like Spring flowers and became symbols of freedom. The Central Jail of the capital Lefkosia not only held in its cells many of those heros, but is also known for the Imprisoned Tombs where 13 of the EOKA fighters were interred. “Nine of them were hanged by the British, three fell on the battlefield and one died in hospital from his battle wounds. The tombs were built in an area adjacent to the cells of the condemned and close to the gallows where they would be executed.” In Europe, the one and only similar case of imprisoned tombs was in Enver Hohza’s (the Albanian communist dictator) regime, against which the supposedly democratic Britain was standing as a NATO and free world member!

When the mother of the 19-year-old Evagoras Pallikarides appealed to the young, (in her 30s then) Queen Elizabeth, who had recently become mother, asking to pardon her son, the latter wasn’t moved by her plea. Not even her husband, partly of Greek origin, felt the need to persuade her. In the meantime, fresh was the blood of the Cypriot fighters on the side of British forces during World War II, saving her majesty’s ass from her cousins, the Nazis!

For the record, the names of only those buried in the Imprisoned Tombs are Michalis Karaolis, Andreas Dimitriou, Iakovos Patatsos, Andreas Zakos, Charilaos Michail, Michail Koutsoftas, Stelios Mavrommatis, Andreas Panagidis, Evagoras Pallikaridis, Markos Drakos, Grigoris Afxentiou, Stylianos Lenas and Kyriakos Matsis.

“After Cyprus gained her independence, the Imprisoned Tombs became a national monument where thousands visit. A sign proclaiming ‘The brave man's death is no death at all’ was put up against one of the walls. During the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 battles raged around the Central Jail of Lefkosia. Vastly outnumbered, the Cypriot national guardsmen - aided by correction officers - managed to fight off the Turks and keep the jail with its Imprisoned Tombs from being captured.”

We American Hellenes are proud of our ancestors’ deeds, especially from the antiquity. With all due respect, the EOKA martyrs and fighters were no less remarkable and no less important for humanity because they struggled for the universal values of freedom and self-rule. They also showed that King Leonidas of Sparta can be revived by his descendants in the battlefield – not just in a Hollywood movie or by the Belgian chocolatier of the same name.

Not long ago, an event in Astoria organized by the Cyprus Federation of America, Petros Petrides and a few other individuals, paid tribute to the EOKA martyrs in a very special way. No speeches were pronounced, only excerpts from letters those young heroes wrote to their families while they were awaiting execution. The calmness, unequivocal faith to what they stood for, an absolute certainty in Resurrection as Christians, the complete absence of fanaticism, hatred or sorrow, showed how exceptional those people who led by example were. Archbishop Demetrios of America called them “martyrs of the Church, too” and proposed for their correspondence to be collected, translated and published as a testament to all Hellenes and Orthodox.

DEMETRIOS RHOMPOTIS
dondemetrio@neomagazine.com