Forty-nine Julys… – Article by AKEL Political Bureau member Eleni Mavrou

 

 

Our memory inevitably turns these days to that horrific summer of 1974. We hear once again testimonies of people who, in the attack launched on democracy in our country during the period 1970-74, answered the call. People who paid dearly – some with their very own lives – for fighting fascism. But also all those who lost loved ones in the battle for democracy.

But we also listen to those who bit by bit are “rewriting history”. All those who yesterday, remembered only the role of the Greek Junta in the coup of 15 July 1974, “forgetting” that neither the geostrategic goals of subjugating Cyprus to NATO interests, nor the expansionist Turkish designs would have succeeded had there had not been willing Trojan horses/fifth columnists – namely EOKA B – to implement them.

We hear those who are content to say that the invading Turkish army of Attila was brought to Cyprus by…”the beloved sea of Kyrenia”. Because they never had the courage to call a spade a spade and point finger at the culprit and perpetrator. That is to say, that the invading Turkish army was brought to Cyprus by the Greek Junta and Grivas’ EOKA B as a result of their treasonous actions. And we are still suffering from the consequences to this day – even though certain forces and people have settled for half a country.

We hear those who hypocritically shout “forgive” when in reality what they really want to say is “forget”. Because their only concern is to “wash away” the blood that stains the glowing image portrayed of the Right, to “wash away” the treason committed by Grivas and EOKA B who organized the treason even though they knew that this would give Turkey the opportunity to invade our homeland.

We heard the President of the Republic himself invoke Dionysios Solomos, telling us that “as they hate among themselves, they don’t deserve to be free”. As if in Cyprus we had a “civil war” and not the bloody overthrow of the lawful government of the country by the force of arms, a confrontation of almost all the Cypriot people with a shameful minority.

We listen to those who try to convince us that the coup was some “foolish action”, a reckless and thoughtless act, not an act of high treason. Some are even wagging their finger at us. They are even delivering lessons to those who shed their blood to prevent fascism and invasion.

But can anyone honestly accept that everyone was responsible for what happened in 1974 – both those who defended democracy and those who attacked it?

The defence of the historical truth is not “getting stuck and engaging in the past”. Every anniversary that marks tragedies and struggles is a challenge to sharpen our memory in the fire of historical knowledge and political analysis.

The retrospection of history is linked to the struggle to prevent fascism from rearing its head again. It is linked to the struggle for freedom and the reunification of our homeland. It is the least we can do for those who gave their lives for the democracy and freedom of this country, to the myriads of our dead “who could not possibly have died for nothing…”.