Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Prime Minister Ünal Üstel strongly criticized Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides for describing the “Bloody Christmas” attacks carried out by the EOKA terrorist organization as an act of heroism, saying the events constituted an attempted campaign of ethnic cleansing against Turkish Cypriots.
Üstel said the violence that began on Dec. 21, 1963, targeting Turkish Cypriots, was not a struggle but a systematic terror campaign, adding that portraying the period as a heroic chapter in Cyprus’ modern history amounts to exploiting the blood of innocent civilians for political gain.
Calling Bloody Christmas a day of mourning and tragedy for Turkish Cypriots, Üstel said his people’s history is defined not by massacres but by resistance, dignity and the will to build a state. He described praising EOKA violence while speaking of peace as “open hypocrisy,” stressing that genuine dialogue and a fair settlement are impossible if massacres are legitimized.
“Peace is only possible by confronting the truth,” Üstel said, adding that rhetoric glorifying violence does not serve reconciliation on the island.
Üstel also said the mindset that led to the 1963 attacks has not changed in more than six decades, noting that such rhetoric once again underlines why the Turkish Cypriot people need Türkiye’s effective and active guarantee and the continued presence of Turkish troops on the island.
Separately, TRNC Parliament Speaker Ziya Öztürkler also condemned Christodoulides’ remarks, saying attempts to whitewash history cannot conceal the truth.
“The facts are written in Tekkebahçe, Kumsal and Muratağa-Sandallar,” Öztürkler said, referring to massacre sites. He added that truth cannot be hidden.
Öztürkler said the events of Dec. 21–25, 1963, marked a turning point in the recent history of Turkish Cypriots, describing them as the beginning of a systematic process aimed at eliminating the Turkish Cypriot presence through forced displacement and mass killings.
Labeling EOKA’s actions as terrorism, Öztürkler said, portraying them as heroism amounts to legitimizing past atrocities. “These actions were terror activities aimed at erasing the existence of the Turkish Cypriot people,” he said.
Sunday was the 62nd anniversary of “Bloody Christmas,” or “Black Christmas,” in Cyprus, the beginning of a campaign of violence by the Greek Cypriot terrorist group EOKA in Cyprus. The EOKA, praised as a guerrilla movement for fighting for Greek Cypriots’ freedom by the Greek Cypriot administration, left indelible scars in the collective memory of Turkish Cypriots. Dec. 21-25 is marked as the Week of Martyrs in the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC).
Dec. 21, 1963, is viewed as the beginning of the notorious Akritas Plan developed by the EOKA to weaken the Turkish Cypriot presence in the divided island of Cyprus, with the ultimate goal of “enosis,” or the reunion of Cyprus with Greece. EOKA gangs launched their campaign of atrocities on the night of Dec. 20, 1963, as they gunned down Zeki Halil and Cemaliye Emirali, a man and a woman whose car were stopped by Greek Cypriot police in Nicosia (Lefkoşa). More attacks followed and in a few days, 92 Turkish Cypriots were killed in Lefkoşa.
On Dec. 23, 1963, 21 Turkish Cypriots held hostage by the EOKA in the village of Ayvasıl were shot dead and dumped in a mass grave. Probably the most infamous incident of massacres took place in the Kumsal area of Lefkoşa on Dec. 24, 1963. The wife and three children of Major Nihat İlhan, who was stationed at a Turkish military base, were shot dead by the EOKA that day. The image of the bodies lying in a bathtub has been a symbol of the genocidal campaign, while the house of atrocities was later converted into the Museum of Barbarism by the TRNC. The EOKA’s attacks led to the evacuation of 103 Turkish Cypriot villages. Attacks continued into 1964 and the terrorist group killed 364 Turkish Cypriots in total in their campaign.
