EOKA-B () was a Greek Cypriot paramilitary organisation formed in 1971 by General
Georgios Grivas
Georgios Grivas ( el, Γεώργιος Γρίβας; 6 June 1897 – 27 January 1974), also known by his nickname Digenis ( el, Διγενής), was a Cypriot general in the Hellenic Army and the leader of the Organization X (1942-1949), EOKA ...
("Digenis"). It followed an ultra
right-wing
Right-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that view certain social orders and hierarchies as inevitable, natural, normal, or desirable, typically supporting this position on the basis of natural law, economics, authorit ...
nationalistic
Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: T ...
ideology and had the ultimate goal of achieving the ''
enosis
''Enosis'' ( el, Ένωσις, , "union") is the movement of various Greek communities that live outside Greece for incorporation of the regions that they inhabit into the Greek state. The idea is related to the Megali Idea, an irredentist conc ...
'' (union) of
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 ...
with Greece. During its short history, the organisation's chief aim was to block any attempt to enforce upon the Cyprus people what the organisation considered to be an unacceptable settlement to the Cyprus issue. In addition, the organisation drafted various plans to overthrow President Makarios. The organisation continued its activities until it officially declared its dissolution and disbanded on 11 February 1978.
Due to its attacks on civilians, it was considered a criminal organization and was outlawed by the
Republic of 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 ...
after the death of
George Grivas
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd President ...
. Among the attacks it is responsible for is the
Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda massacre
Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda massacre ( tr, Muratağa, Sandallar ve Atlılar katliamı) refers to a massacreOberling, Pierre. The road to Bellapais: the Turkish Cypriot exodus to northern Cyprus' (1982), Social Science Monographs, p. 185 of Turk ...
. EOKA-B members were also arrested for the kidnapping of the son of president
Spyros Kyprianou
Spyros Achilleos Kyprianou ( el, Σπύρος Κυπριανού; 28 October 1932 – 12 March 2002) was one of the most prominent politicians and barristers of modern Cyprus. He served as the second president of Cyprus from 1977 to 1988.
S ...
. and for being involved in the assassination of US ambassador
Rodger Paul 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 ...
. Homicide charges were dropped on 4 June 1977 by a Cypriot court against the two men accused of killing the ambassador. According to the ''
Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large nati ...
'' 1970s Cyprus correspondent, Joseph W. Fitchett, EOKA-B members were "motivated by a mixture of patriotism, money and macho".
Formation
EOKA-B was founded by General
George Grivas
George may refer to:
People
* George (given name)
* George (surname)
* George (singer), American-Canadian singer George Nozuka, known by the mononym George
* George Washington, First President of the United States
* George W. Bush, 43rd President ...
as his last organizational attempt before his death on 17 January 1974. Grivas, a stridently anti-communist military leader during the
Greek Civil War
The Greek Civil War ( el, ο Eμφύλιος όλεμος ''o Emfýlios'' 'Pólemos'' "the Civil War") took place from 1946 to 1949. It was mainly fought against the established Kingdom of Greece, which was supported by the United Kingdom ...
, was among the founders of
EOKA
The Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA; ; el, Εθνική Οργάνωσις Κυπρίων Αγωνιστών, lit=National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) was a Greek Cypriot
Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνο ...
in the early 1950s. After the declaration of independent Cyprus state he took over the Supreme Command of the Greek Cypriot forces organised under the National Guard as well as the Greek military division in early 1960s. Following Turkey's ultimatum of November 1967 he was recalled by the Greek junta to Athens, only to return under cover in 1971.
After Grivas returned to Cyprus in 1971, he created EOKA-B in response to President Archbishop Makarios' deviation from the policy of ''
enosis
''Enosis'' ( el, Ένωσις, , "union") is the movement of various Greek communities that live outside Greece for incorporation of the regions that they inhabit into the Greek state. The idea is related to the Megali Idea, an irredentist conc ...
'' in 1959 and the reaffirmation of this position during his re-election in 1968. Grivas, along with his new EOKA-B organisation, attempted to forcefully oust Makarios in order to enact his original goal of ''enosis'' with
Greece
Greece,, or , romanized: ', officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the southern tip of the Balkans, and is located at the crossroads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Greece shares land borders with ...
.
Whereas
EOKA
The Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA; ; el, Εθνική Οργάνωσις Κυπρίων Αγωνιστών, lit=National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) was a Greek Cypriot
Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνο ...
(1955–1959) were seen by the majority of the Greek Cypriots as
anti-colonialist
Decolonization or decolonisation is the undoing of colonialism, the latter being the process whereby imperial nations establish and dominate foreign territories, often overseas. Some scholars of decolonization focus especially on independence m ...
freedom fighter
A resistance movement is an organized effort by some portion of the civil population of a country to withstand the legally established government or an occupying power and to disrupt civil order and stability. It may seek to achieve its objectives ...
s, the EOKA-B did not have the overwhelming support of the Greek Cypriot population, as Makarios had called an election after a failed assassination attempt on him and his coalition won 27 out of the 35 seats.
[O'Malley, Brandan and Craig. Ian. The Cyprus Conspiracy, Pub. I.B. Tauris, London , 1999. p. 137.] The main supporters of EOKA B were pro-enosis supporters who won 7 seats in the previous election, old EOKA fighters who felt they never received the recognition that they deserved after the revolt, right wing military personnel and some pro-enosis elements of the Church of Cyprus.
The only armed, organized resistance to EOKA-B came from the Army Reserve, "Efedriko", a special police force set up by Makarios and the members of the Socialist Party
EDEK
The Movement for Social Democracy ( el, Κίνημα Σοσιαλδημοκρατών, translit=Kinima Sosialdimokraton, EDEK) is a Greek Cypriot nationalism, Greek Cypriot, social-democratic List of political parties in Cyprus, political party in ...
as well as armed supporters of Makarios in every town. The Communist Party
AKEL
The Progressive Party of Working People ( el, Ανορθωτικό Κόμμα Εργαζόμενου Λαού, ; abbr. , AKEL; tr, Emekçi Halkın İlerici Partisi) is a Marxist–LeninistHelena Smith, Cyprus gets ready for a communist 'takeover ...
, despite the mild verbal opposition to EOKA-B, had not organized any form of resistance against it.
Coup d'etat and Turkish invasion
When Grivas Digenis died from heart failure on 27 January 1974, the post-Grivas EOKA-B increasingly came under the direct control and influence of the military junta in Athens. EOKA-B was on the verge of dissolution by July 1974. Yet on 15 July 1974 the Greek dictator
Dimitrios Ioannides
Dimitrios Ioannidis ( el, Δημήτριος Ιωαννίδης ; 13 March 1923 – 16 August 2010), also known as Dimitris Ioannidis and as The Invisible Dictator, was a Greek military officer and one of the leading figures in the junta that ru ...
used the
National Guard
National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards.
Nat ...
which was led by Greek officers and consisted of Greek-Cypriot conscripts, and EOKA-B to launch
a military coup. EOKA-B attempted to
assassinate
Assassination is the murder of a prominent or important person, such as a head of state, head of government, politician, world leader, member of a royal family or CEO. The murder of a celebrity, activist, or artist, though they may not have a ...
Makarios but failed, and he fled to
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
.
Nikos Sampson
Nikos Sampson (born Nikos Georgiadis, el, Νίκος Γεωργιάδης; 16 December 1935 – 9 May 2001) was the ''de facto'' president of Cyprus who succeeded Archbishop Makarios, appointed as the president of Cyprus by the Greek military ...
was installed as the new president of Cyprus.
This action provoked a Turkish invasion of Cyprus on 20 July 1974,
leading to the subsequent ''de facto'' division of the island. Ioannides was taken by surprise by the Turkish invasion and failed to convince or coerce the Greek generals to send military reinforcements to Cyprus. The subsequent toppling of the Greek junta led to Sampson's resignation on 23 July 1974.
On 14 August 1974, Turkey mounted a
second invasion into Cyprus. By the end of hostilities, about 180,000 Greek Cypriots (almost one third of the population), were forcibly uprooted from their homes and properties, while 80,000 Turkish Cypriots were forced north. Thousands more were killed or listed as missing.
Atrocities on 14 August 1974
On 14 August, during the invasion, EOKA-B committed massacres and crimes against Turkish-Cypriots in
Maratha
The Marathi people (Marathi: मराठी लोक) or Marathis are an Indo-Aryan ethnolinguistic group who are indigenous to Maharashtra in western India. They natively speak Marathi, an Indo-Aryan language. Maharashtra was formed as a M ...
,
Santalaris
Santalaris ( gr, Σανταλάρης, tr, Sandallar) is a small village located in the Famagusta District of Cyprus, north of Famagusta. The Turkish Cypriot inhabitants of the village were killed by EOKA-B during Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda ma ...
, Aloda,
Tochni
Tochni ( el, Τόχνη; tr, Dohni or ) is a village located in the Larnaca District of Cyprus, about halfway between the cities of Larnaca and Limassol. Prior to 1974, Tochni had a mixed Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot population. In August ...
and Kiti. They massacred 84 Turkish-Cypriot men and boys from the village of
Tochni
Tochni ( el, Τόχνη; tr, Dohni or ) is a village located in the Larnaca District of Cyprus, about halfway between the cities of Larnaca and Limassol. Prior to 1974, Tochni had a mixed Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot population. In August ...
, leaving one survivor. 126 were killed in the villages of Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda.
Later testimony
On 17 April 1991, Ambassador Nelson Ledsky testified before the U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee that "most of the 'missing persons' disappeared in the first days of July 1974, before the Turkish invasion on the 20th. Many killed on the Greek side were killed by Greek Cypriots in fighting between supporters of Makarios and Sampson."
[Paul Sant Cassia, ''Bodies of Evidence: Burial, Memory, and the Recovery of Missing Persons in Cyprus'', Berghahn Books, 2007, ]
a result of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus of July 20, 1974 2,500 Greek Cypriots died in fighting or as a result of war crimes by the Turkish army or Turkish Cypriot extremists, 500 T/C in fighting and as result of atrocities of Greek Cypriot extremists and around 500 Turkish troops (The Tragic Duel and the Betrayal of Cyprus-Marios Adamides-2011).ei=7sBsTM-vJ8nJcbPU_G8&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4&ved=0CEAQ6AEwAw#v=onepage&q=Aloa&f=false p. 237.
/ref>
See also
*EOKA
The Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA; ; el, Εθνική Οργάνωσις Κυπρίων Αγωνιστών, lit=National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters) was a Greek Cypriot
Greek Cypriots or Cypriot Greeks ( el, Ελληνο ...
*''Akamas
Akamas (Greek: , tr, Akama), is a promontory and cape at the northwest extremity of Cyprus with an area of 230 square kilometres. Ptolemy described it as a thickly wooded headland, divided into two by summits mountain rangerising towards the ...
''
*''Attilas '74
''Attila '74: The Rape of Cyprus'' is a 1974 documentary film by Michael Cacoyannis about the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. It was filmed on location in Cyprus and Greece in the immediate aftermath of the two Turkish invasions and subseque ...
''
*''Once Upon a Time in Cyprus
''Once Upon a Time in Cyprus'' ( tr, Bir Zamanlar Kıbrıs; ) ( gr, Κάποτε στην Κύπρο) is a Turkish historical television drama series broadcast by TRT 1. It is set in 1960s Cyprus, and is based on the story of Turkish Cypriots' ...
''
References
{{Reflist
Cyprus dispute
Military history of Cyprus
1974 in Cyprus
1971 establishments in Cyprus
Greek junta