LIMASSOL – A veterans’ association in Limassol is denouncing the government for allowing international commercial development at the historic headquarters of EOKA, the underground movement that fought British colonial rule in Cyprus.
The group says the site’s transformation includes relocating the tomb of EOKA leader Georgios Grivas, calling the move a desecration and betrayal of the sacrifices made by the fighters.
The association argues that the development undermines national identity and dishonors the legacy of those who fought for Greek Cypriot freedom. It says Grivas never sought personal recognition and had envisioned the site as a memorial to the Unknown Soldier, with museums and archives to preserve the history of the struggle.
The group maintains that the property legally belongs to a foundation based in Athens, overseen by Greece’s Ministry of Finance. In 2017, it opposed an online call for investors to develop the site commercially, claiming the proposal violated the foundation’s charter. Since then, it has made protecting the site from privatization its primary mission.
The association is now pushing for the site to be declared a protected monument and placed under the stewardship of the Church of Cyprus.