Editing EOKA (section)

==Formation==

===Leadership===
EOKA was headed by [[Georgios Grivas]], a [[Hellenic Army|Greek Army]] officer, World War I and World War II veteran. During the Axis occupation of Greece in World War II, he led a small, anti-communist resistance{{efn|There is some controversy surrounding the Xhi organization as some sources consider it or its members to be Nazi collaborators while others consider it patriotic and anti-communist}}  group, named [[Organization X]].{{sfn|Novo|2010|p=66}}{{sfn|Ganser|2005|p=213|ps=:The turn around of the British came as a shock to ELAS and its difficulties increased when former Nazi collaborators and right-wing special units, such as the fascist X Bands of Cypriot soldier George Grivas, with British support, started to hunt and kill ELAS resistance fighters. Churchill, who observed the battle from a distance, noticed however that the X Bands, for complete lack of popular support, never numbered more than 600 Greeks and hence ELAS remained the strongest guerrilla on the territory}} During the anti-communist struggle of [[Dekemvriana|December 1944]] in Athens after the Axis withdrawal he was saved due to British intervention.{{sfn|Newsinger|2016|p=93}} Grivas assumed the [[nom de guerre]] ''Digenis'' in direct reference to the legendary Byzantine [[Digenis Akritas]] who repelled invaders from the [[Byzantine Empire]].{{sfnm|1a1=Beaton|1y=2003|1p=370|2a1=Sherratt|2a2=Bennett|2y=2016|2p=161}} Second in command in EOKA was [[Grigoris Afxentiou]], also a former officer of the Greek army. Afxentiou had graduated from the reserves Officers Academy in 1950 without previous experience on battlefield.{{sfn|Newsinger|2016|p=106}}

===Objectives===
The main objective of EOKA was [[Enosis]]. The organization adopted typical Greek national ideologies and displayed religious, conservative and anticommunist ideas.{{sfn|Θρασυβούλου|2016|p=298}}{{sfn|Novo|2012|p=194}} This was in agreement with the prevailing ideas of Cypriot society at the time.{{sfn|Βαρνάβα|2000|p=88-105|loc = Church and EOKA youth}}{{sfn|Novo|2012|p=195-196}} There was a widespread belief that leftists opposed national objectives and provided a certain support to the colonial regime{{sfn|Θρασυβούλου|2016|p=316}} contrary to other contemporary anti-colonial insurgencies in Africa or Asia, which were led by Marxists.{{sfn|Novo|2010|p=64-65|ps=: While the antagonism between AKEL and EOKA was real and eventually bloody, the alleged ‘cooperation’ between AKEL and the British authorities did not happen.(...) EOKA’s right-wing ideology made it the exception to the rule of post-Second World War insurgencies. Such movements were most often led by communists who aimed at establishing new Marxist societies. This was the case in China, Malaya, Vietnam, and Cuba. As a nationalist and anti-communist movement, EOKA had far more in common with the Irgun and Stern Gang in late-1940s Palestine.}}

Grivas and Archbishop [[Makarios III]] disagreed about the way to rid the island of British rule. Grivas rejected Makarios' attempt to limit the campaign to acts of sabotage, avoiding loss of life. Nevertheless, he shared Makarios' view that victory would be won by diplomatic means.<ref name="Newsinger96">Newsinger, 2016, p. 96</ref> Grivas' goal was to subject the British to continued relentless harassment, making it clear to them that occupation carried a price, while keeping Enosis on the international diplomatic agenda.<ref name="Newsinger97">Newsinger, 2016, p. 97</ref> The British response to the EOKA campaign was crucial in this regard: repression would on the one hand alienate the Greek Cypriot population from British rule, and on the other hand provide Makarios and the Greek government with a stick to beat the British with before the United Nations. EOKA would ensure that there was a Cyprus problem and demonstrate to the world that the British could not resolve it.<ref name="Newsinger97" />

===Preparations===
Grivas carried out a first reconnaissance in Cyprus as early as July 1951.<ref name="Newsinger93">Newsinger, 2016, p. 93</ref>
Makarios was certainly skeptical, telling Grivas on one occasion that he would not find supporters for an armed struggle. The British shared the same view. Grivas finally arrived on the island in early November 1954 and set about establishing his underground network.<ref name="Newsinger94">Newsinger, 2016, p. 94</ref> He recruited from the Cyprus Farmers' Union (PEK) in the villages and from the two main youth movements, the Church-controlled Christian Youth Movement (OHEN) and the nationalist Pancyprian Youth Movement (PEON) in the towns.<ref name="Newsinger94" />{{sfn|French|2015|p=64-65}} Grivas intended to turn the youth of Cyprus 'into the seedbed of EOKA'.<ref name="Newsinger94" /> The backbone of EOKA were the mountain groups, a conventional guerrilla force living in hidden camps in the forests, and the town groups, often continuing their civilian job or schooling.<ref name="Newsinger94" /> Supporting this armed wing was the much broader National Front of Cyprus (EMAK), which provided EOKA with intelligence, supplies, weapons, medicines, recruits and safe houses, confronted the British on the streets with demonstrations and riots and conducted the propaganda offensive.<ref name="Newsinger94" />

===ANE===
{{anchor|Alkimos Neolaia EOKA}}ANE ({{langx|el|Άλκιμος Νεολαία ΕΟΚΑ – "Alkimos Neolaia EOKA"|lit=Alkimos Youth EOKA}}) was the EOKA youth movement during the struggle for [[enosis]] between 1955 and 1959.  The youth organisation had a self-governing body that was directly responsible to the leader of EOKA, [[Georgios Grivas|Digenis]].  Among its activities was demonstrating against the British rule in Cyprus.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Η νεολαία στον αγώνα του 1955-59 |url=https://simerini.sigmalive.com/article/2014/4/1/e-neolaia-ston-agona-tou-1955-59/ |access-date=2023-04-14 |website=Η νεολαία στον αγώνα του 1955-59 |language=en}}</ref>