Turkish radicals burn Olympiakos Nicosia office

Nicosia and its suburbs on June 7, 1958 were put on alert, following repeated attacks by angry Turkish mobs against Greek properties. Thus, tens of thousands of Greeks were put on alert. It was a magnificent mobilization that took place in a few minutes right after the start of the bells. The goal of the Greek Cypriots was to protect Greek lives and properties tooth and nail from the unprovoked and unjustified attacks of deified Turkish demonstrators, who following orders from the T.M.T. carried out the orgy of vandalism.

The reason for the incidents was the throwing of a bomb around 10:15 pm. on June 7, 1958 from a passing car against the Information office of the Turkish Consulate, which was located on Kyrenia Street near the Traffic Police station.

The mysterious bomb (which everyone believes to be the work of T.M.T.) exploded on the porch of the house and shattered some glass panes. Denktas himself confided that the explosion was his invention to provoke a conflict.

A little later, around 200 angry Turks gathered at the site of the explosion and marched towards the Turkish quarter. Soon groups of Turks entered the Greek districts of Chrysaliniotissa and Agios Kassianos, while others, riding in cars, roamed the streets of the districts of Agios Ioannis, Agios Antonios, Kaimakli and Palouriotissa.

The Turks were shouting "ttaksim", swearing vulgarly at the Greeks, making provocations against the Greeks.

Then the bells of the parishes of Agios Kassianos and Chrysaliniotissa began to ring, calling the people to alarm. Flashes of flames soon came out of the streets, lighting up the area of the district. It was a fire that exploded in the car of "OLYMPIAKS" football player Nakos Anastasiadis. The fire was extinguished by the Fire Service but the car was heavily damaged.

Then, enraged, the Turks attacked the boarding school of the Pangyprio Gymnasium, in Agios Kassianos, which was not functioning and broke the windows. They also doused the wooden doors of Greek carpentry and furniture shops in the Agios Kassianos district with gasoline. The fire was extinguished in time by the neighbors who came forward before it spread.

Shortly after midnight, all the church bells in Nicosia and the suburbs began to ring. Soon a sea of people was on the streets. Crowds of Greek Cypriots from Kaimakli, Paluriotissa and other suburbs gathered at the opening despite the Famagusta Gate and elsewhere with the aim of protecting the Greek quarters.

Thousands of people gathered in the Archbishop's Square, many of them wearing their night clothes. But crowds made their way to the streets adjacent to the Turkish Quarter.

At 12:40 in the morning of the next day, a police patrol was stoned by the crowd gathered despite the "PALLEFKOSIATIKOS" association. A little later a crowd of a thousand Greeks stoned 8 cars full of Turkish policemen.

In the meantime, a crowd of Turks armed with revolvers, axes, clubs, knives and stones attacked the Greeks who gathered near the "OLYMPIACO" to protect the district.

Bloody strife and savage stoning ensued. Many persons were injured and the area took on the appearance of a real battlefield. Many Greeks were lying on the ground with wounds from revolver shots, blows with axes and knives, while Turks entered Greek houses and beat or shot the occupants.

The heroism shown by the Greek residents was magnificent because they fought unarmed against armored Turks.

In the meantime, the Turks set fire to the "OLYMPIAKOS" building, which was set on fire and completely destroyed. The fire department arrived late as usual and could not get there, nor could the hospital stretchers. The Greeks were finally able to expel the Turks from the area of "OLYMPIAKOS", but after they dispersed to the neighboring streets and Ermou Street, they set fire to the neighboring shops. Groups of Greeks pursued the Turks and put out the fires. But they were not able to suppress all the fires in time and at 2:00 in the morning part of Nicosia appeared to be burning. Sky-high flames and thick clouds of smoke covered the city.

The entire block on Kara Poupa Street was set on fire, while lumber shops, garages, flour and seed oil industries, pharmacies and others were set on fire.

Dense groups of Greeks fought selflessly at the sites of the fires and pursued the Turkish arsonists or faced the attacks and stoning of the hidden Turks. Thus dozens of Greek shops were saved from the well-defined plan of the Turkish chauvinists to exterminate the Greek Cypriots of the area and destroy their properties.

In the meantime, strong forces of British troops arrived, slowly but again, in the blood-stained area of "OLYMPIAKOS", which showed brutal apathy, blocked the adjacent roads and attacked to disperse the Greeks. The Turks hid behind the Turkish mosque and stoned the Greeks while simultaneously trying to block the firefighters.

The clashes ended with the murder of two Greek Cypriots, 18-year-old Kostas Ioannou and another 20-year-old named Fidiklis.

They were also seriously injured by bullets, knives and other sharp instruments and most of the others were taken to the hospital in a critical condition. The injured exceeded 50. At 2:00 a.m. on June 8, a curfew was imposed in the area of the fires and clashes.

Most of the Greek shops from "OLYMPIAKO" to the Municipal Market were looted or damaged.

Source from: https://www.olympiakos.com.cy