46 years since the fascist coup of 15th July 1974 – The falsification of modern Cypriot history an organised campaign
Article by Nikos Kouzoupis, Head of AKEL’s Ideological Affairs Bureau and member of the Central Committee
7th July 2020, ‘GNOMI’ newspaper
Time on a personal level alleviates the pain and often anger itself. However, can the same happen at the level of collective consciousness? Time can erase historical events from people’s collective memory, which from time immemorial to the present day influence not only society’s, but can also specify upcoming developments.
46 years have elapsed since an important pivotal point in the history of Cyprus and our people (Note: the fascist coup on 15th July 1974 and subsequent Turkish invasion), which represented the culmination of the anti-Cypriot foreign conspiracies and scheming, whilst at the same time marking subsequent developments. Precisely on such days – but not only on these days – we need to reflect mainly not just about what happened, but about what the future holds.
The campaign underway to falsify contemporary Cypriot history is a phenomenon, which follows in the footsteps of similar phenomena on a global scale. These phenomena cultivated by ruling elites and promoted intentionally and of course generously rewarded by a mass media serving interwoven interests aim at developing historical forgetfulness and amnesia, the distortion of the historical truth and the weakening of people’s collective memory.
46 years separates us from the fascist coup d’état of 15th July 1974, the consequences of which the Cypriot people are still suffering from. It is uncertain that with the erratic policy being pursued by the government a solution of the Cyprus problem will be achieved; a solution that will reunite our homeland and people.
The farther we distance ourselves from the events of 1974, the stronger are the voices and actions seeking the revision of history, and it is no coincidence that they emanate precisely from those forces and circles who took up arms and Democracy, the rule of law and opened the back door in the summer of 1974 for Turkey’s invasion, while today these very forces and their descendants move about dressed in suits and ties and indeed determine the policy of the state, holding the fates of the whole people in their hands.
However, the revision of history isn’t just related with the distance in time, which separates us from the events back then, nor with the so-called inaction or even if you wish with the apathy of subsequent generations and the abstention from social engagement, but has to do with specific targeted actions over time.
The political mentor (Note: a reference to Glafcos Clerides, the traditional historical leader of the Right and former President) of the current government ruling forces, who elevated him as the patriarch of a very dubious political realism long before the tragic events of 1974, did indeed have the “foresight” for his political development, which is precisely why it is not at all accidental that he pardoned the mercenary traitors of Cyprus by advocating the theory “violence brings anti-violence”, thus equating the illegal armed activity of EOKA B with the lawful state. It is also no coincidence that in 1976 he provided political cover to the EOKA B terror activities by incorporating them into the then newly-founded and current ruling party. This represented a warm embrace of ultra-right forces that holds well today.
A further step taken was the equation of the heroes of the Resistance and of every resistance fighter with those who took up arms against democracy in order to overthrow the legitimate government under the pretext of some controversial “national unanimity”, which in essence was consciously attempted targeting the erasure of the term “coupist”. They even got to the insane point of talking about the execution of a coup without the existence of specific coupists. This is a notion which was reproduced pressingly, generalizing and talking about “misled youths” not coupists, who certain supposedly “fools” exploited their supposed innocent “national-minded” goals and visions.
Gradually, and with the passage of time, extremist and unfounded theories emerged, based on conspiracy theories, such as for example that the coup was supposedly provoked by the legitimate state itself and its elected President in order to bring down the Greek junta and bring the “old party system” back to Athens! As naive as it may sound, as much as it is refuted by the protagonists of the betrayal themselves, nevertheless the idea is skillfully cultivated that had Makarios not “provoked” with his well-known letter (July 2) addressed to the Greek Junta army chief Giziki 13 days before the coup on 15th July (calling for the withdrawal of the Greek junta officers from the Cypriot National Guard), the Greek junta would not have proceeded to overthrow him.
A favourite method employed is the shifting of responsibilities on to others for the exoneration of EOKA B relieving it of its grave responsibilities, by reiterating constantly that this criminal organization had been virtually disbanded on the eve of the coup,. By saying so, EOKA B is acquitted and thus bears no responsibility whatsoever for what subsequently followed. The previous history and actions of the founder of EOKA B, Grivas, are overlooked, who for three years had methodically been executing terrorist actions 1971-1974, blowing up police stations, killing and kidnapping democratic citizens, carrying out assassination attempts and elaborating subversive plans to prepare the ground for dealing the fatal blow.
In doing so the role and importance of EOKA B and its members in the prevalence of the coup d’état through arrests, imprisonments, interrogations and the torture of ordinary civilians, with the cold-blooded executions of anti-fascist resistance fighters, but also the carrying out of house-to-house searches and ambushes, are all simultaneously deleted.
So everything is deleted, everything must be forgotten and everyone is being lumped together in the narrative promoted of “civil disunity”. By doing so everyone bears a share of responsibility, even the victims and those who resisted. We are therefore told that “we mustn’t open up old wounds of the past” – as if 1974 is considered a past – even if these wounds are still open and bleeding, while we are reminded every single day by the occupied Pentadahtylos mountain we can see and by the refugee settlements of the consequences of the betrayal these forces have committed as a result of their actions.
These days of July, the mainstream media – television, radio stations and the press – will either ignore or skimp over this devastating anniversary, contributing to the silence they want to impose so that the consciousness of the guilty and the perpetrators won’t be disturbed. The war sirens may sound at 8 o’clock every 15th July in the morning with a significant percentage of the young generation wondering what has happened for the sirens to ring. Amnesia, levelling, the deletion, distortion and falsification of the historical truth all these years have been employed by the far-right establishment and its associates, with the strategic goal seeking to alter people’s consciousness and drive people away from collective participation in political and social struggle, promoting individualism, alienation and egocentrism, thus perpetuating their rule.
In a few days we will mark the anniversary of the coup d’état and betrayal, in addition to paying due tribute to the heroic dead of the Resistance and democracy. The anniversary must represent a real starting point for creating all those preconditions for our liberation from the desecrater’s discourse and actions insulting the memory of our Heroes. This will be the greatest honor to their memory.
