Turkey remembers victims of 1963 ‘Bloody Christmas’ attack
“We commemorate with mercy all our Turkish Cypriot brothers and sisters who lost their lives in the barbaric attacks by Greek Cypriots, and we honor our veterans with deep respect,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement shared on its social media platform NSosyal. The statement emphasized that Türkiye will never forget the “martyrs who sacrificed their lives” for the national cause in Cyprus.
“62 years ago today, members of the Greek Cypriot terrorist organization EOKA carried out the Bloody Christmas massacre marking the beginning of their brutal attacks against the Turkish Cypriot people,“ it added. The ministry highlighted that EOKA’s objectives were thwarted through the steadfast support of Türkiye and the determined resistance of Turkish Cypriots, particularly members of the Turkish Resistance Organization.
Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz also paid tribute to the victims, calling Bloody Christmas “an indelible black stain in history.” In a post on NSosyal, Yilmaz said the massacre symbolized EOKA’s attempts to eliminate Turkish Cypriots and seize the island, but noted the effort failed “thanks to the determined resistance of the Turkish Cypriot people, standing shoulder to shoulder with Motherland Türkiye.” He also commemorated those who lost their lives, as well as Turkish Cypriot leaders Fazil Kucuk and founding President Rauf Raif Denktas, saying: “Türkiye and the TRNC (Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus) will stand shoulder to shoulder forever.”
The Bloody Christmas commemoration recalls attacks that began on the night of Dec. 20-21, 1963, when EOKA-linked Greek Cypriot militants targeted Turkish Cypriots across Lefkosa and other areas. The assaults, carried out under the framework of the Akritas Plan, sought to forcibly remove Turkish Cypriots from the island’s bi-communal governance structure, ultimately dismantling the fragile power-sharing system established between the two communities.
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