The 1974 anti-American riots in Cyprus were violent

anti-American Anti-Americanism (also called anti-American sentiment) is prejudice, fear, or hatred of the United States, its government, its foreign policy, or Americans in general. Political scientist Brendon O'Connor at the United States Studies Centr ...

rioting that took place in front of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

embassy in

Nicosia Nicosia ( ; el, Λευκωσία, Lefkosía ; tr, Lefkoşa ; hy, Նիկոսիա, romanized: ''Nikosia''; Cypriot Arabic: Nikusiya) is the largest city, capital, and seat of government of Cyprus. It is located near the centre of the Mesaor ...

Cyprus Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...

on August 19, 1974. The events took place days after the second phase of the

Turkish invasion of Cyprus The Turkish invasion of Cyprus began on 20 July 1974 and progressed in two phases over the following month. Taking place upon a background of Cypriot intercommunal violence, intercommunal violence between Greek Cypriots, Greek and Turkish ...

which resulted in

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

controlling 36.5% of the island. The Greek gunmen murdered the American ambassador in the American embassy in the Cyprus. Hundreds of

Greek-Cypriot Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνοκύπριοι, Ellinokýprioi, tr, Kıbrıs Rumları) are the ethnic Greeks, Greek population of Cyprus, forming the island's largest Ethnolinguistic group, ethnolinguistic community. Accordin ...

s who were frustrated at the failure of the United States to quell the Turkish forces and fearing its alleged support for Turkey started to protest and riot. The American ambassador to Cyprus,

Rodger Davies Rodger Paul Davies (May 7, 1921 – August 19, 1974) was an American diplomat born in Berkeley, California, who was killed in the line of duty on August 19, 1974, in Nicosia, Cyprus, allegedly by Greek Cypriot gunmen during an anti-American demon ...

, who was seeking shelter inside the embassy, was shot and killed by sharpshooters belonging to

EOKA-B EOKA-B () was a Greek Cypriot paramilitary organisation formed in 1971 by General Georgios Grivas ("Digenis"). It followed an ultra right-wing nationalistic ideology and had the ultimate goal of achieving the ''enosis'' (union) of Cyprus with ...

, a Greek-Cypriot nationalist paramilitary. from about 100 yards away. An embassy employee, Antoinette Varnava, who rushed to his aid, was also killed by a sniper bullet. In February 1977, the Cypriot government decided to arrest six EOKA-B extremists and try them for the assassination of ambassador Davies.

References

{{reflist 1974 riots 1974 in Cyprus August 1974 events in Europe Cyprus–United States relations Attacks on diplomatic missions of the United States Turkish invasion of Cyprus Anti-Americanism