On Sunday, 21 July 2024, over 2,000 Melbourne residents, mostly Greeks and Greek Cypriots, gathered together with heart and soul in Federation Square to commemorate the dark anniversary of the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion and illegal occupation of Northern Cyprus in 1974. Despite adverse weather conditions and forecasts of rain, thousands of people flocked to the rally, passionately expressing their solidarity and unwavering commitment to the freedom and reunification of the island, signalling a big “NO”.
NO – to 50 years of continuous occupation of Cyprus by 30,000 Turkish troops.
NO – to the latest attempt by President Erdogan of Turkey to create a separate client state, the so-called “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” with the aim of annexing the northern part of Cyprus to Turkey.
NO – to the Turkish fanatics who tried to divide the Greek and Turkish Cypriots in Melbourne with false narratives that Turkey invaded to save the Turkish Cypriots.
The rally in the heart of Melbourne, organised by SEKA and the Action Team for the 50th anniversary of the Invasion of Cyprus, with the participation of all the major Cypriot and Greek organisations in Victoria, was the fruit of months of preparation and proved to be the largest in the global diaspora. The organising committee worked tirelessly to make this important moment a success.
The tremendous success is clearly in stark contrast to the “handful” of some 60 fanatical Turks who turned out to demonstrate the very previous day, motivated by foreign interference to divide our community by preaching division and false narratives. The rally rejected pressure from Ankara and its unrecognized “puppet president,” Ersin Tatar, to portray its invasion as a peacekeeping mission to save Turkish Cypriots.
As a reminder, the self-proclaimed “president” Tatar came to Melbourne and despite the lack of official recognition, stirred up the Turks in the region and some Turkish Cypriots in order to create division in the community and promote his separatist ideology.
Sunday’s rally began with the moving ceremony of the raising of the Cypriot flag, a minute’s silence, recitation of national anthems and the laying of wreaths for the 9,000 Greek Cypriots who died or are missing as a result of the invasion, creating an overall atmosphere of national pride and commotion. Subsequently, the Provincial Bishop of Chora, Mr. Eumenius, read the message of the Archbishop of Australia, Mr. Makarios, followed by a memorial service for the fallen by the Provincial Bishop of Melbourne, Mr. Kyriakos.
The speeches addressed to the audience by prominent speakers, who spoke with deep respect to the history of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, its consequences and the ongoing occupation, filled the air with sentiment. All of them, without exception and each and every one of them individually, stressed the importance of international recognition and support for the resolution of the Cyprus issue, while reaffirming that Australia, in full accordance with UN resolutions, supports the reunification of the island, rejecting the separatist regime in the occupied territories. There is only one legitimate internationally recognised Government of Cyprus and the “TRNC” is not recognised by Australia or any other country in the world other than Turkey.
The presence of many Australian politicians, including the Hon Bill Shorten, Minister for NDIS, the Hon Steve Dimopoulos, Minister for Tourism, Sport and Major Events, Keith Wolahan, MP for Menzies, Matthew Guy, Shadow Minister for Public Transport and Kat Theophanous, MP for Northcote, reinforced the message of support and condemnation of the Turkish invasion and continued occupation. During the speeches many expatriates expressed themselves powerfully with repeated slogans such as “We won’t forget” and “Justice for Cyprus”.
Pavlos Andronikos, President of SEKA Victoria, and Theo Theofanous, President of the Cyprus Community of Melbourne and Victoria, spoke with strong emotional intensity about the need for justice and reunification of the island, expressing the enduring grief and feeling of the community. Mr. Theofanous stressed their unwavering opposition to the permanent division of the island, while Mr. Andronikos referred to Turkey’s persistent attempt to recognize the pseudo-state as the “Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus” and stressed the need to prevent this recognition.
Mr. Theofanous said:
“You don’t send 200,000 settlers from Turkey to occupy the homes of 175,000 Greek Cypriots who you forcibly expelled to save Turkish Cypriots. This action has made Turkish Cypriots a minority in the North and is destroying their unique culture. You do not force Turkish Cypriots to live in substandard economic conditions if you are there to support them. You don’t violate the human rights of Turkish Cypriots if you are there to save them. Human rights violations continue, including the lack of a free press, illegal arrests and forced labour, as documented by the UN and the US State Department.”
Mr. Theophanous further noted that:
“The invasion was violent. The Turkish army is not there to protect Turkish Cypriots. No, it is there to control the Turkish Cypriots. And the terrorist group called the Grey Wolves is allowed to run free to oppress democratically minded Turkish Cypriots.
The Grey Wolves now have a presence in Australia and are trying to intimidate Turkish Cypriots who want unification to keep quiet. They should be investigated by ASIO. Melbourne has become the centre of resistance of the vast Greek and Cypriot community to the efforts of the fundamentalist Turks to divide Cyprus. We reject their attempts to create a situation between Greeks and Turks in Melbourne that mirrors the mood between Israelis and Palestinians.
In fact, the majority of both communities in surveys conducted in Cyprus say they want a united Cyprus. Only Turkey stands in their way.
Others may fear the Turkish lobby or the Turkish vote. But the Greek community is not afraid. We are not afraid. And we do commend the politicians and all of you who came to the centre of Melbourne and stood with the Greek Cypriots and the silent majority of Turkish Cypriots in Melbourne who want a united Cyprus.”
MP Bill Shorten expressed his gratitude for the opportunity to represent the Australian Government and highlighted that Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in Melbourne have in the past supported the return to a united Cyprus, encouraging these moderate voices to continue to work together to achieve it, while Mr. Guy, who is of Ukrainian descent, pointed to similarities with Putin’s expansionist actions in Ukraine.
The Vice President of the Hellenic Community, Anthi Sidiropoulou, spoke with deep emotion about her personal grief and commitment to justice in Cyprus, remembering her late father and his legacy of struggle for Cyprus.
Among the speakers were also the President of the Archdiocese’s Union of Communities and Parishes, Mr. Antonis Tsourdalakis, Mr. Konstantinos Kalymnios, on behalf of the Epirus, and Mr. Yannis Pilalidis on behalf of the Australian Federation of Pontian Associations. The speeches were concluded by the Consul General of Greece in Melbourne, Mr. Emmanuel Kakavelakis, who stressed, among other things, that the barbarities against International Law, the principles of the UN and the rights of all Cypriots must not be allowed to stand.
The event was accompanied by the chanting singers and the performance of the well-known Cypriot vocalist Marios Charalambous, adding an additional aspect to the moving and unifying atmosphere of the day. In addition, representatives of other communities, such as Armenians, Assyrians, Kurds and Ukrainians, attended to show their solidarity with the Cyprus issue.
During the rally, many passers-by and tourists stopped to watch and get informed about the situation in Cyprus. The message sent out by the organisers and attendees was a clear and powerful one: THE MEMORY OF THE TURKISH INVASION REMAINS ALIVE AND THE NEED FOR A JUST SOLUTION TO THE CYPRUS PROBLEM IS MORE URGENT THAN EVER.
Photos: Kostas Deves
