Cyprus-Forum.com

[zan]

Zan wrote

Richard...Makarios, Grivas and Greece where all for Enosis and backed EOKA...Thousands of soldiers were then also EOKA men.

Hi Zan

Yes I'm sure many soldiers were EOKA men or at the very least were sympathisers

But can you tell me the strength of the CNG at this time? as Alcezen (sorry if spelling is incorrect) has claimed that there were 20 000 fighters which is just not true

As I have said the numbers of actual activists were in the hundreds and they managed to defeat a 22 000 strong British presence.

Some of the figures bandied round this forum are just too ludicrious for words

Its like me claiming thAT 80 000 TCs Were actively involved in the fight for Taksim

there can be no definitive figures for either Richard. what I meant was that the leaders were for ENOSIS and so was EOKA so they had the entire army as reserves. I suppose you can then claim the same for Taksim though the initial fight was against ENOSIS.

[purdey]

Richard, I have had no dealings with the political wing of the IRA, but have been on the receiving end of their "Freedom Fighters" (I use the term with a certain amount of sarcasm) on far too many occassions.
Having not witnessed what actually happened in the late 50s in Cyprus and having read so many differing accounts I cannot in all honesty judge what was right or wrong. I can however comment on similar conflicts where barbarity has no bounds and human life is just a ball to be kicked.

[BC Numismatics]

Purdey,
Sinn Fein & I.R.A. ARE one & the same thing! Gerry Adams is Ulster's equivilant of Adolf Hitler,& Martin McGuinness is Ulster's equivilant of Josef Goebbels.They HAVE killed people themselves PERSONALLY!

I knew 2 guys who are ex-British Army guys who did their National Service serving time in Cyprus.One of them later also served in Kenya,which was in strife in the mid-1950's as well.

EOKA weren't freedom fighters at all.They were terrorists who were masquerading as freedom fighters.In fact,they were just as barbaric as EOKA-B & Z.A.N.U.-P.F. as well.

Aidan.

[Oracle]

The actual number of dead english soldiers is 104.
GreekCypriots murdered most of them without reason ( except being left wing, or supporting something different) is 204.

What do you mean by they murdered them without reason?

They were invader-enemy-combatants ... I don't know the terminology, but if they were preventing us getting our Freedom from slavery to the Brits ... that is not murder!

[BC Numismatics]

Oracle,
The British did NOT engage in slavery in Cyprus,as the slave trade has been banned within the British Commonwealth since 1833!

Time for you to go & do your homework!

Aidan.

[Oracle]

Oracle,
The British did NOT engage in slavery in Cyprus,as the slave trade has been banned within the British Commonwealth since 1833!

Time for you to go & do your homework!

Aidan.

So the Cypriots were free to run their own country under the Brits were they Aidan?

If you do not have freedom to determine your future ... you are a slave.

Like it or not, call it by whatever name you like ... the British were slave masters to the Cypriots until the 60's ... and maybe even now, since they are forcefully occupying part of our country as Bases!

[BC Numismatics]

Oracle,
Cyprus was legitimately a British colony right up until independence.The whole island,excluding the Sovereign Base Areas is now a legitimately independent republic within the British Commonwealth.

You Cypriots should be grateful for the existence of the Sovereign Base Areas,as they are providing employment (as well as British-Cypriot dual citizenship),& contributing to the economy of the Republic of Cyprus itself.

If there were no S.B.A.s,then Cyprus' economy would have been in the pan years ago!

Aidan.

[Oracle]

Oracle,
Cyprus was legitimately a British colony right up until independence.The whole island,excluding the Sovereign Base Areas is now a legitimately independent republic within the British Commonwealth.

You Cypriots should be grateful for the existence of the Sovereign Base Areas,as they are providing employment (as well as British-Cypriot dual citizenship),& contributing to the economy of the Republic of Cyprus itself.

If there were no S.B.A.s,then Cyprus' economy would have been in the pan years ago!

Aidan.

Who gave them "legitimacy"?

No one but themselves! ... because they were oppressive rulers here to steal our minerals and enslave us and use our location for their own purposes ... they gave very little in return ... besides we did not want what they had on offer or gave ... we just wanted freedom and they refused that ... so how reasonable were they? ... NOT AT ALL!

[Bananiot]

I think we should put the records straight. EOKA, headed by Grivas and Makarios started an armed struggle against the Brits in order to achieve decolonisation and enosis, union with Greece.

This movement involved the right wing and in its first declaration to the Greek Cypriots, Grivas advised the communists to stay out of EOKA's way. AKEL had a different idea about how to liberate Cyprus. They believed in peaceful, mass struggle and argued that an armed struggle (given the odds and the strategic balances in the area) will eventually lead to a blind ally and a solution would eventually be imposed on us. Enlightened people from the right also saw this danger and historian Spyridakis warned against the arm struggle.

In practice (this is what counts at the end of the day) the armed struggle played havoc with the relationship of the two main communities of Cyprus since the Turkish Cypriots could not support enosis. On top of this, the armed struggle brought Turkey into the equation as an important player. Many claim that the London-Zurich agreements of 1959 were imposed on us. This is true, but we need to admit that the agreements were the predictable conclusion of an ill perceived idea that we could achieve enosis through an armed struggle.

I am afraid that despite the heroics of some members of EOKA, the unbiased, cold historian of the future will apportion a lot of blame to EOKA for our present state of affairs. Had it not been for EOKA, Cyprus would have been a happier place today.

[BC Numismatics]

Oracle,
You are posting up a load of bullcrap! The British were good rulers.They left Cyprus with strong governmental & legal systems,but Cypriot extremists have hijacked those systems to settle old scores dating back to Ottoman times.

Blaming the British for your country's problems is a bit rich!

Aidan.