[MGSA-L] May 10, 1956: The anniversary of the execution of two Greek freedom fighters

Tue May 20 13:14:05 PDT 2014

One last point -- whether or not the British-collaborator policeman died is
not relevant (and I am not sure you are correct about this fact in any
case) -- the British, with whom you correctly note we fought the war
against the Nazis and Fascists, behaved no better than they when it came to
dealing with Cyprus.
The *vast majority* of the population of Cyprus (nearly 90%) had *expressed
its will* in a referendum in 1950, *and that was to join Greece*. The *British
ignored the will of this majority* -- so much for their commitment to
democratic values -- *and behaved no better than the Germans* did during
the Second War occupation.
*EOKA and its fighters*, including Karaolis and Demetriou, *did precisely
the right thing to fight them* -- for those of us who are Greeks, they were
patriots and our last great heroes, fighting an oppressor, much as our
resistance (both right- and left-wing) had done against the Nazis. No
reason to go into in this series of comments as to why EOKA's work was
undone by inept, cowardly and weak political leadership) . . .

A Caratzas

On Tue, May 20, 2014 at 9:03 PM, George Gedeon <g.gedeon at sympatico.ca>wrote:

> From my understanding, the Cypriot policeman attacked by Karaolis died of
> his injuries.
>
> Until a few years ago, killing a policeman in Canada, was a capital
> offence and presumably punishable by capital punishment= DEATH BY EXECUTION.
>
> In the 1950s, death by execution for capital offences was also very common
> in most of the world, including the British Empire and Greece.
>
> Cuprus was always a complex island due to its strategic location and
> thousands of years of being at the centre of invasions and ethnic disputes.
> Originally it became a British protectorate after the Ottomans were thrown
> out, then taken over by GB when Turkey joined the Austro-Hungarians in WW1.
> The island became an important British colony and military stronghold
> during the difficult Cold War era when both Greece and Turkey were its NATO
> allies.
>
> The whole region was a Western concern, including Greece, due to the
> Soviet threat and the threat of Arab leftist nationalism threatening
> Western military and economic interests, the Suez canal, etc. Most of these
> anti-western Arab movements, including Cypriot leftist factions,
> were supported by the USSR. Makarios eventually joined Nasser, Tito and
> others in their so called "Non Alined nations" group, many of them flirting
> with Khrushchev's "Soviet Socialist Republics"… Imagine Cyprus having
> Soviet air and naval bases?
>
> Now on Nazi Germany:
>
> Hitler's jackboots were enemies of Great Britain and the Kingdom of
> Greece. British troops, including Canadians, died defending Greece and
> eventually helped Greek troops liberate their country. Britain can not be
> compared to Hitler's Germany. In 1956, GB was in control of the island and
> law and order had to be enforced until Cyprus' problem was resolved through
> negotiations and UN involvement. Yet as a Greek living in Egypt, I do
> remember feeling sad for the young men executed, our priests and teachers
> praising the Greek Cypriot heroes.
>
> I also remember Nasser's propaganda condemning British "imperialism" as
> his secret police was beginning to harass us and other ethnic minorities
> for being too "pro-western"… and we all know what happened to Egypt's Greek
> communities thanks to Arab nationalism.
>
> If you Mr. Caratza were alive in WW2 Greece and watched the many
> assassinations by the communist led Greek Resistance of Greek gendarmes
> doing the bidding of the SS and Gestapo, how would you have rationalized
> it? Would you have supported them as you are now supporting nationalist
> EOKA's militancy? If it is OK with you to accept the murder of a Cypriot
> policeman working with the Brits by a nationalist Cypriot, would you have
> supported the killings of Greek gendarmes in W22 by EAM and EPON fighters?
>
> Mr. Caratza, you, a well known conservative and anti-communist should be
> able to understand the dilemmas the Brits were facing in the 1950s.
>
> George Gedeon
> Toronto, Canada
>
>
> On 2014-05-20, at 10:01 AM, Aristide Caratzas wrote:
>
> My first reaction was not to answer this question at all, as it attempts
> to attenuate (even suggest justification for) the execution-murder of
> Karaolis' by the British authorities.
> On second thought it occurred to me that Mr Gedeon's question reflects a
> parallel legalism as the one used by the German occupation troops in Greece
> to justify their execution-murder of members of the resistance. In the case
> of the Germans, inter alia they cited that it was in contravention of the
> Geneva convention for the resistance not to wear uniforms, a violation that
> was punishable by death, as were its acts. They certainly did not recognize
> the fact that the Greek freedom fighters fought to liberate their country
> (in the process killing many of the occupation troops and their
> collaborators).
> In the case of Michalakis Karaolis, he apparently* did take part in an
> unsuccessful ambush* of a Greek-Cypriot policeman-collaborator of the
> British occupation forces. The man, a certain Poullis, survived the attack
> — which brings us back to the reason for Karaolis' execution, namely the
> fact that he, as a Greek freedom fighter, fought to unite Cyprus with
> Greece.
>
> Aristide Caratzas
>
>
> On Tue, May 20, 2014 at 2:38 AM, George Gedeon <g.gedeon at sympatico.ca>wrote:
>
>> Was Karaolis executed because he wanted to be Greek, or to unite Cyprus
>> with Greece, or because he assassinated a Cypriot constable?
>>
>> George Gedeon
>> Toronto
>>
>>
>> On 2014-05-19, at 4:46 PM, Aristide Caratzas wrote:
>>
>> The whole discussion began precisely because I had made notice of
>> anniversary of the British murder-execution of Karaolis and Demetriou on
>> May 10, 1956 — these men died because they saw themselves as Greeks, who
>> fought for union of Cyprus, their unredeemed part of Hellenism, with
>> Greece.
>> Mr. Allen said that "it is irrelevant what [*these men*] called
>> themselves (I can call myself Chinese, but that does not make me Chinese).
>> They did not have Greek citizenship nor did they have Greek passports."
>> It is difficult not to characterize this remark as belittling and
>> demeaning. Karaolis & Demetriou died in order not to deny their Greek
>> identity, aspiring to "Greek citizenship ... [and] ... passports."
>> Mr. Allen assumes that an imperial (or currently fashionable term
>> "transnational") order is superior to one built around ethnic or national
>> entities — that this is not a universal is a legitimate subject for
>> discussion; for instance it is by no means a given, particularly for
>> peoples who have a sense of an ethnic identity built within a complex
>> culture that has developed over centuries or miliennia, as is the case for
>> the Greeks and the Jews for instance.
>> The death of aforesaid heroic individuals, and of the freedom fighters
>> that followed them also killed by the British, as well as Isaak and
>> Solomos, murdered by Turkish occupation forces in the nineties, could be
>> seen as the value that these brave individuals placed on their Greekness
>> (Ελληνικότητα).
>> To ignore this fact presupposes that one operates on a different level,
>> to what Dr. Katsetos refers as a different reality, one that posits that
>> its assumptions are superior, and hence can ignore the sacrifices of these
>> otherwise ordinary people.
>>
>> Aristide Caratzas
>>
>>
>> On Mon, May 19, 2014 at 7:07 PM, Allen, Peter S. <PAllen at ric.edu> wrote:
>>
>>> I reject Dr. Katsetos’s accusations of bigotry and distortion.  I have
>>> never demeaned any Cypriot nor questioned the right of Cypriots to
>>> self-determination. I have always shown respect to the Cypriot peoples and
>>> argued strongly for self-determination. British colonial rule on Cyprus,
>>> until 1955, was, for the most part, benign, but it was colonialism
>>> nonetheless, and anachronistic by the time it ended. And the reputation of
>>> the British is forever tarnished by their behavior between 1955 and 1960.
>>> There is no justification for British actions in this period.
>>>
>>>    The “distorted linkage” to which Dr. Katsetos refers is nothing
>>> compared to the writer on this list who compared my statement to the idea
>>> of sending American blacks back to Africa.  THAT is distortion. Moreover, I
>>> fail to understand how I have demonstrated that my “reality is somehow
>>> superior to that of the natives.” To what “reality’ is Dr. K’s friend
>>> referring/?
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Peter Allen
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Peter S. Allen
>>>
>>> Department of Anthropology
>>>
>>> Rhode Island College
>>>
>>> Providence, RI 0290
>>>
>>> 401-456-9639
>>>
>>> Fax: 401-456-9736
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* Christos D. Katsetos [mailto:cd_katsetos at yahoo.com]
>>> *Sent:* Saturday, May 17, 2014 9:46 PM
>>> *To:* Allen, Peter S.; 'Terkourafi, Marina'; 'Aristide Caratzas';
>>> MGSA-L LIST
>>> *Cc:* ckatseto at drexelmed.edu
>>>
>>> *Subject:* Re: [MGSA-L] May 10, 1956: The anniversary of the execution
>>> of two Greek freedom fighters
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> In reply to the non-apology offered by Prof Peter S Allen, formerly,
>>>
>>> vice president of MGSA, I should like to quote an esteemed Greek Cypriot
>>>
>>> colleague of mine that "*no freedom-loving man leaves his land to suit *
>>>
>>> *a conqueror, fair and square!*"
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> At issue is Prof Allen's earlier statement that if a native of Cyprus
>>> were
>>>
>>> to declare a Greek identity (during the British colonial rule), he/she
>>> should
>>>
>>> have emigrated to Greece. I submit that this is an utterly condescending
>>>
>>> and dehumanizing remark, which exudes bigotry and lack of respect towards
>>>
>>> self-determination. Such a remark flagrantly violates the dignity of
>>> Greek Cypriots
>>>
>>> and ought to be viewed as a sheer manifestation of dehumanization and
>>>
>>> disentitlement, raising serious concerns at various levels.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Interestingly, in an attempt to justify his argument, Prof Allen engaged
>>> in
>>>
>>> a distorted linkage of different ideas, both out of context and time
>>> sequence,
>>>
>>> by juxtaposing the case of repatriation of diaspora Jews to the State
>>> of Israel
>>>
>>> while also throwing around the names of a Greek Cypriot scholar who
>>> pursued
>>>
>>> his career path in Greece along with that of a highly-successful and
>>> influential
>>>
>>> business tycoon, the Greek Cypriot chairman of the board of directors of
>>> the
>>>
>>> Hellenic Coca-Cola Bottling Company (and beyond).
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> In the words of a learned historian and good friend who reflected
>>> critically
>>>
>>> on the content of this thread, " *[Prof] Peter Allen represents a
>>> school of students*
>>>
>>> *of Greece who approach the subject with the idea that their reality is
>>> somehow*
>>>
>>> *superior to that of the natives. Not unlike many in the British
>>> colonial administrations*
>>>
>>> *or the slavemasters of the old South, mutatis mutandis*."
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Christos D. Katsetos, MD, PhD, FRCPath
>>> http://www.drexelmed.edu/Home/AboutOurFaculty/ChristosKatsetos.aspx
>>> http://www.stchristophershospital.com/find-a-physician/120
>>>
>>> On Wednesday, May 14, 2014 8:32 AM, "Allen, Peter S." <PAllen at ric.edu>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *I am sorry if I offended anyone with this remark and to them I
>>> apologize, but I do not necessarily apologize for the remark.  Just as
>>> thousands (tens of thousands?) of Jews emigrated to Israel when it got its
>>> independence in 1947, after Greece got its independence in 1830/1831 there
>>> were a number of individuals who emigrated to the new state which they must
>>> have felt would be a friendlier environment than where they were living, or
>>> perhaps they wanted to help build the new state.  Some came from Cyprus and
>>> continue to come from Cyprus to this day.  Prominent Greeks originally from
>>> Cyprus now living in Greece include Paschalis Kitromilides and George
>>> David, just to name two whose  names are probably familiar to those on this
>>> list. I don’t know what their motives were, but they came voluntarily. *
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Peter Allen
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Peter S. Allen
>>>
>>> Department of Anthropology
>>>
>>> Rhode Island College
>>>
>>> Providence, RI 0290
>>>
>>> 401-456-9639
>>>
>>> Fax: 401-456-9736
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *********************************************
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *An idea is a curious thing. It will not work unless you do.* — W. H.
>>> Smith
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> *From:* mgsa-l-bounces at uci.edu [mgsa-l-bounces at uci.edu] on behalf of
>>> Terkourafi, Marina [mt217 at illinois.edu]
>>> *Sent:* Tuesday, May 13, 2014 2:15 PM
>>> *To:* Christos D. Katsetos; Allen, Peter S.; 'Aristide Caratzas';
>>> MGSA-L LIST
>>> *Subject:* Re: [MGSA-L] May 10, 1956: The anniversary of the execution
>>> of two Greek freedom fighters
>>>
>>> On Monday, May 12, 2014 1:42 PM, "Allen, Peter S." <PAllen at ric.edu>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> "...*Anyone who desired to be fully Greek could have emigrated to
>>> Greece. Britain imposed no restrictions on such moves.*"
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> I am not a historian but I was also struck by the above statement, as it
>>> is in contrast with what I know from our family history. In the early
>>> 1950's, when my paternal grandfather needed to travel from Cyprus to Greece
>>> to receive treatment for tuberculosis, he was not allowed to export money
>>> to pay for it, but instead had to have the money sown inside his jacket to
>>> be able to pay for surgery. It is hard to imagine that, if Britain
>>> controlled so closely the flow of currency out of Cyprus, it would not have
>>> done the same with the flow of people. Perhaps a historian of the British
>>> period in Cyprus can weigh in on this.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> As for identity, it is indeed a formidable notion, and, unlike
>>> citizenship, it can hardly ever be settled on legal grounds. Rather, it
>>> involves both Self's claim to identity and (at least as a desideratum)
>>> Other's uptake. While Cypriots' self-identification today may not be what
>>> it was in the 1940's or 50's (moreover, both then and now, not everyone
>>> would have identified in the same way), I believe the question of whether
>>> colonial Britain saw its Greek Cypriot subjects as Greek is one that
>>> deserves further study. I am reminded here of a WWII poster by the British
>>> Administration that I saw at the Leventis Municipal Museum in Lefkosia
>>> which urged Cypriots to "Fight for mother Greece! Join the British Army!".
>>> Slogans such as this suggest that Britain did acknowledge (i.e. provide
>>> uptake to) the Greek identity claims of those of its Cypriot subjects that
>>> advanced them (at least, it did so when it served its interests).
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Finally, it is not the case that this situation is the same as today's
>>> "If they want to feel African, they can return to Africa" -- much as both
>>> are equally deplorable. Today's economic migrants and asylum seekers are
>>> often denied their rights to freely practise their
>>> cultures/languages/religions in a foreign country (Greece), but for
>>> Cypriots under British rule, it was the right to self-determination in the
>>> country where they were born and where their ancestors had lived (Cyprus)
>>> that was denied. That is the case, of course, in colonial situations all
>>> over the world but one should be wary of stretching historical parallels
>>> where they do not apply.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Marina Terkourafi
>>> Associate Professor of Linguistics
>>>
>>> Center of Advanced Study Associate (2013-14)
>>> Associate Editor, *International Review of Pragmatics*
>>>
>>> University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
>>> 4080 Foreign Languages Building
>>> 707 S Mathews Avenue, MC-168
>>> Urbana, IL 61801
>>>
>>> Fax: +1 (217) 244-8430
>>>
>>> http://faculty.las.illinois.edu/mt217/
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *********************************************
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *An idea is a curious thing. It will not work unless you do.* — W. H.
>>> Smith
>>> ------------------------------
>>>
>>> *From:* mgsa-l-bounces at uci.edu [mgsa-l-bounces at uci.edu] on behalf of
>>> Christos D. Katsetos [cd_katsetos at yahoo.com]
>>> *Sent:* Tuesday, May 13, 2014 10:07 AM
>>> *To:* Allen, Peter S.; 'Aristide Caratzas'; MGSA-L LIST
>>> *Cc:* Andreas N. Akaras; andreas.karaolis at btopenworld.com;
>>> mignatiou at aol.com; mariosle at yahoo.com; ckatseto at drexelmed.edu;
>>> Diamataris H.
>>> *Subject:* Re: [MGSA-L] May 10, 1956: The anniversary of the execution
>>> of two Greek freedom fighters
>>>
>>> On Monday, May 12, 2014 1:42 PM, "Allen, Peter S." <PAllen at ric.edu>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> "...*Anyone who desired to be fully Greek could have emigrated to
>>> Greece. Britain imposed no restrictions on such moves.*"
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Further to my last, may I add that Prof Allen's statement above raises
>>> eyebrows. It is both deeply troubling and offensive to Greek Cypriots and
>>> amounts to a sheer insult to the memory of Mihalakis Karaolis and Andreas
>>> Demetriou who were sent to the gallows fighting for their right of
>>> self-determination. May I also suggest that Prof Allen's statement was
>>> hardly a slip of the tongue and that this line of argument is fundamentally
>>> no different from the uttering of bigots in this country to the effect that
>>> "if they want to feel African, they can return to Africa".
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> A public apology is due.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> RELATED LINK
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> http://maillists.uci.edu/pipermail/mgsa-l/2014-May/003425.html
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Christos D. Katsetos, MD, PhD, FRCPath
>>> http://www.drexelmed.edu/Home/AboutOurFaculty/ChristosKatsetos.aspx
>>> http://www.stchristophershospital.com/find-a-physician/120
>>>
>>> On Monday, May 12, 2014 1:42 PM, "Allen, Peter S." <PAllen at ric.edu>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>> *As I said, I have no desire to prolong this discussion, but I feel
>>> obliged to comment on Mr. C.’s commentary.;*
>>>
>>> I find it more than ironic that Mr. Caratzas calls for a “diminished use
>>> of charged adjectives” yet calls into question the quality of my
>>> scholarship and then suggest that I am somehow “anti-intellectual.” I
>>> resent these remarks. Identity is a VERY tricky issue. There is  nothing
>>> “arbitrary” about the citizenship of the residents of Cyprus during the
>>> period of British colonialism there. They were living on the island of
>>> Cyprus and were thus citizens thereof, albeit constrained by the terms of
>>> British colonial rule – they were subjects of the British, but not with the
>>> privileges enjoyed by citizens of England. Anyone who desired to be fully
>>> Greek could have emigrated to Greece. Britain imposed no restrictions on
>>> such moves. During that time they may have called themselves “Greeks” or
>>> “Turks” or even ”Armenians” but that does not make these designations
>>> accurate. Mr. Caratzas brings up the Greek revolution, suggesting that
>>> Greek identity played a major role in that event. Undoubtedly it did, but
>>> there were many regional identities that were much stronger.  Many of the
>>> war lords who played an important part in the Greek revolution of 1821,
>>> such as Petrobey Mavromichalis, were surprised to find out that liberation
>>> from the Ottomans did not mean that they and their ilk could go about their
>>> business and rule their little fiefdoms, but rather they would be paying
>>> taxes to an entity called Greece and their sons would be subject to
>>> conscription by its armies, etc.  When Mavromichalis objected, he was
>>> imprisoned and we all know the rest of that story. It reminds me of the
>>> case of Italy.  When its various principalities were finally unified in the
>>> 1860s one of the architects of that union announced to the assembled
>>> unifiers, “Gentlemen, we have created Italy, now we have to create
>>> Italians.” It took several decades for a true Greek identity to manifest
>>> itself after the revolution. My own research on Cyprus (see “Bicommunal
>>> Separatism in Cyprus” in Saud Joseph and Barbara Pillsbury, eds, *Muslim-Christian
>>> Conflicts; Economic, Political, and Social Origins*. Boulder, CO:
>>> Westview Press, 1978, pp.208-233) reveals that, although there were
>>> Greek-speakers on Cyprus from as early as 1400 B.C.E., during Ottoman times
>>> the island’s populations defined themselves according to their religious
>>> affiliation not ethnicity or language. This was a fundamental feature of
>>> the millet system practiced by the Ottomans. Greek speakers were generally
>>> defined as “Orthodox Christian” and the Turkish speakers “Muslims.”  Some
>>> Christians (the so-called lino-vamvaki) converted to Islam nominally
>>> (mainly to be spared the inequalities heaped on the Christian population)
>>> but continued to practice Christianity clandestinely.
>>>
>>>   As to Mr. Danforth’s point, it seems clear (see my article cited
>>> above) that the terms “Greek Cypriot” and “Turkish Cypriot” emerged about
>>> the same time (probably during the period of British rule and probably
>>> compounded by their use of the terms) since under the Ottomans they had
>>> been “Christian” and “Muslim”; therefore, there is really no reason to
>>> privilege one over the other.
>>>
>>> And, yes, Cyprus was invaded by the Turks in 1974. I  know this well as
>>> I was on the island before, during and after the invasion and managed to
>>> travel around the island rather freely during this time (I drove as far as
>>> Cape Andreas just a week after the invasion, e.g.).  Lert me remind Mr.
>>> Caratzas that te invasion by the Turks was precipitated by a coup conceived
>>> of and engineered by the Greek Junta government during which Turkish
>>> Cypriots were targeted and slaughtered (I witnessed the aftermath of this
>>> personally). This does not justify in any way the atrocities that were
>>> clearly committed by the Turkish troops who invaded (I lost several close
>>> Greek Cypriot friends in that conflict), but it was the crass attempt by
>>> the Greek junta to annex Cyprus by force along with a failure of the
>>> guaranteeing powers, in particular Great Britain, that led to Turkey’s
>>> military action.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Peter Allen
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Peter S. Allen
>>>
>>> Department of Anthropology
>>>
>>> Rhode Island College
>>>
>>> Providence, RI 0290
>>>
>>> 401-456-9639
>>>
>>> Fax: 401-456-9736
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* Aristide Caratzas [mailto:acaratzas at gmail.com<acaratzas at gmail.com>]
>>>
>>> *Sent:* Monday, May 12, 2014 12:15 PM
>>> *To:* MGSA-L LIST; Allen, Peter S.; Christos D. Katsetos
>>> *Subject:* Re: [MGSA-L] May 10, 1956: The anniversary of the execution
>>> of two Greek freedom fighters
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> In answer to,
>>>
>>> Mr. Allen: Whatever Karaolis & Demetriou were "technically" (basically
>>> unwilling colonial subjects of the British Crown), they considered
>>> themselves Greek, and were willing to die for this designation.
>>>
>>> It is not particularly good scholarship to establish arbitrarily fixed
>>> definitions — while all of the above applied, i.e. they were subjects in a
>>> British colony called Cyprus, the vast majority of its population (80-85%
>>> is an overwhelming majority by any count) had a Greek identity.
>>>
>>> The set of interesting questions from a scholarly point of view have to
>>> do with the evolution of this identity over time, not its denial — the fact
>>> is that the Greeks of Cyprus took part in general rising that resulted in
>>> the Greek revolution of 1821 and were suppressed, as many other parts of
>>> the Greek world were; indeed parallel to the massacres of Chios in 1822,
>>> there were massacres in Cyprus during the same year. (With all due respect
>>> the "call myself Chinese" argument simply is anti-intellectual)
>>>
>>> Mr. Danforth: I am sorry to offend you but there is a reason for the
>>> quotation marks on the term "Turkish," when referring to the Muslims of
>>> Cyprus. There is a valid historical set of questions as to when a "Turkish"
>>> (vs. Ottoman, Muslim etc) identity developed, and that in turn is related
>>> to all kinds of issues relating to identity in the entities that succeeded
>>> the Ottoman state, the advent of nationalism, its impact (or lack thereof),
>>> the role of religion, languages, etc. It is not clear what you mean by
>>> "delegitimize the identity" of another group — the issues I raise certainly
>>> are scholarly, even though they may have a political edge.
>>>
>>> As to your other comments, you may not have noted the fact that Cyprus
>>> was invaded by the Turkish armed forces in July 1974 — theirs was a
>>> successful campaign to ethnically cleanse and occupy some 40% of the
>>> territory of the Cyprus Republic, in process committing all manner war
>>> crimes on a major scale. And yes, the Turkish invasion and occupation of
>>> Cyprus is a legitimate subject of study — neither censorship sits well with
>>> scholarship, even if it hides behind expressions such as "serious advice
>>> about how to chose..." etc., nor attempts at intimidation with "[a]ttempts
>>> to defend this nationalistic language" and such.
>>> One little piece of editorial, and as it turns out substantive advice:
>>> diminish the use of charged adjectives and give more facts, and the sources
>>> on which these rest — this kind of presentation is much more interesting
>>> than polemical spats . . .
>>>
>>> ADC
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, May 12, 2014 at 5:22 PM, Allen, Peter S. <PAllen at ric.edu> wrote:
>>>
>>> *I have no desire to prolong this discussion, but I do want to point out
>>> that in fact the two young men were technically Cypriots or Greek Cypriots,
>>> not Greeks or something else. It is irrelevant what they called themselves
>>> (I can call myself Chinese, but that does not make me Chinese). They did
>>> not have Greek citizenship nor did they have Greek passports.  They were
>>> citizens of a British colony named Cyprus and thus Cypriots. The island at
>>> that time had a majority of Greek speakers, but a large Turkish-speaking
>>> population and some Armenians and probably other ethnic groups. It  was
>>> customary then, as it is now, to refer to Cypriots as Greek Cypriots or
>>> Turkish Cypriots, designations that reflect religion and language (the
>>> Armenians and other seems to have been left out of this).*
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> PSA
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Peter S. Allen
>>>
>>> Department of Anthropology
>>>
>>> Rhode Island College
>>>
>>> Providence, RI 0290
>>>
>>> 401-456-9639
>>>
>>> Fax: 401-456-9736
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* Aristide Caratzas [mailto:acaratzas at gmail.com]
>>> *Sent:* Monday, May 12, 2014 10:09 AM
>>> *To:* Allen, Peter S.
>>> *Cc:* Christos D. Katsetos; MGSA-L LIST
>>>
>>>
>>> *Subject:* Re: [MGSA-L] May 10, 1956: The anniversary of the execution
>>> of two Greek freedom fighters
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Indeed Michalakis Karaolis and Andreas Demetriou were Greek Cypriots —
>>> they both were members of EOKA and fought specifically to rid the island of
>>> British colonialism and unite it with Greece ('Enosis' was the explicit
>>> goal of the liberation struggle); in this they were supported by the vast
>>> majority of the Greek Cypriots, indeed even many "Turkish" (Muslim)
>>> Cypriots (cf. the referendum of 1950).
>>>
>>> I used the designation Greek for Karaolis and Demetriou because that is
>>> how they designated themselves — there is plenty of evidence.
>>>
>>> There is no conflict between the designations "Greek" and "Greek
>>> Cypriot," as the latter refers to origins and local traditions, as in
>>> Pontic , Epirotan (or North Epirotan), Macedonian, Thessalian etc.
>>>
>>> Over the last decades, after the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974
>>> and subsequent occupation, the term "Greek Cypriot" has assumed an
>>> additional meaning with political overtones, to designate one ethnic group
>>> (with the overwhelming majority) and juxtapose it to the "Turkish" Cypriot.
>>> This is basically a screen to legitimate the creation of an entity that
>>> ignores basic democratic precepts such as majority rule.
>>>
>>> Finally, I put "Turkish" in quotes because in their overwhelming
>>> majority they are native Cypriots who were Islamized over the last
>>> two-three centuries — thus they are to be distinguished for the Turkish
>>> settlers from Anatolia that Turkish governments have been moving into the
>>> illegally occupied territory of the Republic of Cyprus.
>>>
>>> It would be interesting if some scholar-members of the MGSA would focus
>>> on the efforts of Ankara and the occupation regimes to alter the cultural
>>> foundations of the occupied areas, not only by the settlement of
>>> Anatolians, but also by the physical destruction of the evidence of the
>>> presence of the Greek Christian culture.
>>>
>>> Aristide Caratzas
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Aristide Caratzas
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> On Mon, May 12, 2014 at 4:27 PM, Allen, Peter S. <PAllen at ric.edu> wrote:
>>>
>>> *In his post, Mr. Caratzas refers to the two young men as “Greeks”.
>>> Were they not in fact Greek Cypriots?*
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> PSA
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Peter S. Allen
>>>
>>> Department of Anthropology
>>>
>>> Rhode Island College
>>>
>>> Providence, RI 0290
>>>
>>> 401-456-9639
>>>
>>> Fax: 401-456-9736
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> *From:* Christos D. Katsetos [mailto:cd_katsetos at yahoo.com]
>>> *Sent:* Saturday, May 10, 2014 5:45 PM
>>> *To:* Aristide Caratzas; MGSA-L LIST
>>> *Subject:* Re: [MGSA-L] May 10, 1956: The anniversary of the execution
>>> of two Greek freedom fighters
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Echoing Aristide Caratzas' post in memory of the two young freedom
>>> fighters,
>>>
>>> Mihalakis Karaolis and Andreas Dimitriou, who on May 10, 1956 were sent
>>>
>>> mercilessly to the gallows in a Nicosia prison, I should like to add the
>>>
>>> following thoughts.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> In 1956 Mainland Greeks from all walks of life and political persuasion
>>>
>>> voiced their strong solidarity with their Greek Cypriot brethren in
>>> their
>>>
>>> struggle against British colonial rule and for self-determination. The
>>> historical
>>>
>>> memory of the 1955-59 Greek Cypriot uprising and the people's yearning
>>>
>>> for ΕΝΩΣΙΣ (unification) with Greece, during that time, ought to be part
>>> of our
>>>
>>> γνώθι σαυτόν and not be misconstrued as a "nationalist" manifestation in
>>>
>>> the name of *realpolitik*.  Importantly, Greeks across the democratic
>>> political
>>>
>>> spectrum nowadays should stand united and not allow this sacred memory
>>>
>>> to become contaminated --or worse, be held hostage-- by the purveyors of
>>>
>>> perverted patriotism, hate mongering, and national socialist
>>> totalitarianism.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> RELATED LINKS
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> E.O.K.A. RIK - CYBC Documentary
>>>
>>> EOKA Documentary broadcasted from Cybc (RIK) Cyprus featuring footage
>>>
>>> from newsreels of the period.
>>>
>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=loVBPDQ0VNk
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> "Θα πάρω μιαν ανηφοριά"
>>>
>>> Στίχοι:  Ευαγόρας Παλληκαρίδης
>>>
>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-kDjQwgmENE
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Colonial administration records -- Death sentences
>>>
>>>
>>> http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/documents/migrated-archives-6-tranche-guide.pdf
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> =======
>>>
>>> CDK
>>>
>>> 5/10/2014
>>>
>>> On Saturday, May 10, 2014 1:21 PM, Aristide Caratzas <
>>> acaratzas at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> On this day fifty-eight years ago (May 10, 1956) the British colonial
>>> administration in Cyprus hanged two young Greeks, Michalakis Karaolis and
>>> Andreas Demetriou (aged 23 and 22, respectively). Both men, who fought for
>>> the liberation of their land, went to their death with dignity and without
>>> fear.
>>>
>>> We live at a time during which the notion of self-respect is devalued
>>> for many and the idea of freedom limited to those that happen to agree with
>>> them. Furthermore the evocation of the Greek identity, is denied by effete
>>> internationalists, perverted by Nazi sociopaths, and deranged
>>> Anarcho-Communist fanatics.
>>>
>>> Karaolis and Demetriou, and the others murdered by the British
>>> occupation forces in that corner of Hellenism, died so that the rest of us
>>> maintain our self-respect, to live and produce in the context of an
>>> identity in which the human being is at the center, and the roots of which
>>> stretch back at least three millennia.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Aristide D.Caratzas
>>> acaratzas at gmail.com
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> List-Info: https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/mgsa-l
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Aristide D.Caratzas
>>> acaratzas at gmail.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>> Aristide D.Caratzas
>>> acaratzas at gmail.com
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> List-Info: https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/mgsa-l
>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Aristide D.Caratzas
>> acaratzas at gmail.com
>>  _______________________________________________
>> List-Info: https://maillists.uci.edu/mailman/listinfo/mgsa-l
>>
>>
>>
>
>
> --
> Aristide D.Caratzas
> acaratzas at gmail.com
>
>
>

-- 
Aristide D.Caratzas
acaratzas at gmail.com
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