A badge of honor and glory in the 100-year history of the Communist Party of Cyprus-AKEL

14 December 1955: the colonialists outlaw AKEL

14 December 2023, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

The anniversary of the prohibition of AKEL by British colonialism is a badge of honor for the Cypriot Left.

14 December 1955 is the day when the British colonialists launched an operation to dissolve AKEL in a second attempt to exterminate the Cypriot Left, following the persecution suffered by the Communist Party of Cyprus in the 1930’s. The raids across Cyprus and the arrests of 135 leading AKEL militants, including the General Secretary of AKEL Ezekias Papaioannou, were followed by the British governor’s decree outlawing AKEL, the Cyprus Farmers’ Union (EAK), the Pancyprian Democratic Women’s Organisation (PODG) and the Progressive Youth Organisation (AON). At the same time, the newspapers “New Democrat”, “Independent”, “Forward” and the Turkish Cypriot “Inkilapsi” newspaper were banned.

The “rationale” of the decree issued confirms that the British colonialists viewed AKEL as a dangerous anti-colonial force, a hated ideological enemy and the principal obstacle to the implementation of their plans to transform Cyprus into a NATO base.

In the years that followed its prohibition up to the declaration of Cyprus independence, AKEL and its cadres had to face, on the one hand, the British colonialists and, on the other hand, the extreme right-wing terror unleashed that targeted AKEL militants and members, as well as trade unionists of the class-based trade union federation Pancyprian Federation of Labour (PEO), Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike.

It is worth pointing out that the colonialists kept AKEL outlawed, even after the signing of the Zurich-London Agreements, the return of Makarios and the amnesty granted for EOKA members. It is well known that, in parallel with the signing of the Agreements, the Prime Ministers of Greece and Turkey, Karamanlis and Menderes, had concluded a secret “Gentlemen’s Agreement” which provided for the criminalisation of communist activity and the accession of Cyprus to NATO.

Throughout this historic phase, AKEL not only endured and withstood the attacks on it, but emerged even stronger and more rooted among the Cypriot people and in June 1959, with the organisation of a massive rally, forced the lifting of its proclamation.

AKEL commemorates this page of its almost 100-year history, which was written with the blood, dedication and sacrifice of thousands of its members and which, at the same time, sheds light on great truths about Cypriot history.

13.12.2023