Cyprus: An inconvenient truth

41 years ago today, Cyprus became the latest victim of America's aggressive foreign policy, led by Henry Kissinger.

Nearly a quarter of a million people (including my mother) were ethnically cleansed. Greek Cypriots in the north lost their homes, possessions and livelihoods overnight, as did the Turkish Cypriots in the south.

They were the lucky ones; over 1,000 are reported missing and nearly 2,500 lost their lives - not including 371 British servicemen (the biggest loss to the British army since WWII*).

British Foreign Secretary at the time James Callaghan was quoted as saying 'we nearly went to war with Turkey, but America stopped us'. The USA prevented the greatest empire the world has ever seen from defending the Commonwealth because of a non-existent war with Russia.

Today, Northern Cyprus is illegally occupied, ethnically cleansed and has the world's only divided capital, Nicosia. Shame on Europe that prides itself on being a civilised and progressive democracy.

A political fight against Communism had devastating human cost, not just in Cyprus but all over the world. It's time someone was held accountable for murdering and displacing so many innocent people for simply disagreeing with their country's politicians.

* correct as of 2009

First published 06/11/2015