Eye-opening thread about the historical methodology of Turkey’s land grabbing and ethnic cleansing 👇
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Was just in an EU country today and called a taxi to get to the airport. Lenos picked me up. Traffic was bad. We got stuck and I heard his life story.
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Was just in an EU country today and called a taxi to get to the airport. Lenos picked me up. Traffic was bad. We got stuck and I heard his life story.
Lenos was a child when Turkey invaded his hometown on his island.
On July 20 1974 Turkey invaded Cyprus in what the Turks called “Cyprus Peace Operation" (Kıbrıs Barış Harekâtı). 200,000 were displaced as a large scale demographic change was set into motion.
On July 20 1974 Turkey invaded Cyprus in what the Turks called “Cyprus Peace Operation" (Kıbrıs Barış Harekâtı). 200,000 were displaced as a large scale demographic change was set into motion.
Before the invasion US President Johnson wrote a letter to Turkey saying they were against it and wouldn’t support it. Sec of State Kissinger tried to mediate. Ankara insisted the invasion was necessary because of Turkey’s “legitimate security concerns” and launched the campaign.
Invasion began early on the 20th. Heavy casualties and mass displacement ensued. By the 22nd the UN was able to secure “a cease-fire.” But the Turks had already driven a wedge in the middle of the island. Every day after that they inched more and more land under the “ceasefire.”
The “ceasefire” became a joke internationally. Some celebrated it saying “it’s holding well” while local civilians lost their homes and properties to Turkish invaders. The Red Cross set up camps as IDP numbers escalated. Women were raped & children killed amidst heavy shelling.
July 25-30 negotiations took place in Geneva over what the Cypriots called “the occupation zone” and what the Turks called “the safe zone.” Negotiations failed. On 14 August Turkey launched its "Second Peace Operation" resulting in the Turkish occupation of 37% of Cyprus.
During the campaign Turkish death-squads used rape, beheadings, & jihadist style executions as tactics to secure their new land. Thousands were killed and thousands went missing never to be found to this day.
Under Turkish occupation, Turkish language was imposed as town names and street names were changed to Turkish names. Churches were desecrated and mosques were built across the island in every place Turks occupied.
As I stepped out of the taxi, I told Lenos, “thank you for sharing. I work with the Kurds.” He said, “What they’re doing in Rojava is what they did in Afrin. They did it here too. Trump doesn’t know what he just set in motion. The Turks will never leave.”
As I walked away he told me one last story. He explained when the invasion started a Turkish observation point was set up opposite his Kindergarten. He said, “I took my wife there for the first time last year and showed her that that observation point remains to this day.”
