FAREWELL GREAT HELLENE.  ΑΝΤΙΟ ΜΕΓΑΛΟ ΕΛΛΗΝΑ.

For Immediate Release: Sunday, December 14, 2008

Contact: Nikolaos Taneris, New York, Tel. 1-917-699-9935

Tassos Papadopoulos died on Friday, all of Cyprus, and all Hellenes or ethnic Greeks around the world who love Cyprus are in mourning for the traditional three days, until his burial this Monday.

Through my own life and in my own capacity as a person who struggles for our people, I have shook hands with many men and women who hold the title or sit on seats that allow people to label them “leaders” in the Diaspora or in the homeland. Only one man in my life, have I shook hands with, that held the title of Leader and truly was a leader for Hellenes. Most of our so-called “leaders” are not even Hellenes in the historical sense of that grandiose identity. That one man I shook hands with continued in the line of those very few leaders we have had throughout our long and ancient history. That one man I am convinced was not only a Hellene, but also a GREAT HELLENE.

In September 2007, I had the great fortune to be in a public reception at NYU New York University, and briefly shook hands with Tassos Papadopoulos, I can tonight feel his heavy and strong hand, and remember exactly what transpired for those brief moments, I told him “Mister President I organized the Protest outside the gates of the Turkish Embassy in Washington DC to mark July 20^th” he cracked a wide smile and his eyes sparkled and he said “Were the Turks scared? “  .

 Tassos Papadopoulos was the last of our great statesmen, having lived through the heroic EOKA revolution. He was as a leader at a young age through what Hellenic war hero General Dimitris Aleyromageiros describes as one of the Great and least talked about Revolutions of the Hellenes. The first was the Hellenic Revolution of 1821 that began in 1821 in Mani and was launched against the Turks, the Second Hellenic Revolution was in 1955 and it was launched in Cyprus by its proud people, all of whom from age eight to the old age of seventy mobilized against the tyranny of the white supremacist English empire, I would say that both Revolutions are unfinished.

The genocidal Turks and the savage English still enslave The Great Island.  In 2004 , the Anglo-Americans ,England, many in the Greek political establishment, and Turkey backed by years of well-financed think-tanks hand in hand with  bought and paid chairs of Turkish Studies at American universities, spies and loads of lobbyist money in the US State Department  was able to advance the so-called Annan Plan and its last minute addendums that included provisions allowing the Turkish military to remain and to intervene over all Cyprus,  and demands for all the illegal Turkish settlers to remain. In effect, the so-called Annan Plan was not only falsely justifying the criminal Turkish military invasions that began on July 20^th 1974, it was continuing the Turkish invasions, to vanquish once and for all Hellenism in its entirety on the island, even the ancient Hellenic city of Salamina in Ammochostos was not spared, they wanted it to remain in Turkish hands forever.

For the first time in history with the so-called Annan plan, the Hellenic people in Cyprus  was able to truly determine its own destiny at the hands of outside powers in a popular referendum. Two weeks before the vote, Tassos Papadopoulos spoke in a historical address to the Nation broadcast live on television on April 7, 2004.  

Leadership, marked with the pride and defiance, saved our Nation when under attack from immense enemy pressure and threats, this is what our heroes were made of, self less sacrifice, bravery, and loyalty to the Nation. It was King Leonidas of Sparta who told the Persians when asked to lay down his arms “come and get them” ”molon lave”. And it was Leader Ioannis Metaxas who on October 28, 1940 at 3 AM when awoken by visitor Italian Ambassador, Grazz in Athensi, when faced with an ultimatum from Mussolini that he surrender Greece to Italy he slammed his palm on top of his desk, and responded with a defiant “NO” It was Leaders such as Leonidas that inspired countless ‘agonistes’ to give everything so that our people could be free, inspiring other freedom fighter many centuries after their heroic death. It was Leonidas who inspired Kolokotronis but also the many who went unknown to join the Hellenic Revolution, it was the Leadership of Metaxas that inspired so many known and unknown volunteers to go barefoot into the snow filled mountain trails in 1940 to face the enemy invader. One of whom , if I my make a personal note, was my own late father ,an American born Greek who was 23 years old when that “NO” was said and volunteered selflessly for the front, and who incidentally  died ten years ago , and I also mourn, on this day of December 14.

 When called to face upon the enemy and to lead our people Tassos Papadopoulos urged our people to say 'ένα δυνατό Όχι' (a resounding No) on April 7, 2004. Ultimately our people in Cyprus knew that this so-called Annan Plan would become the bloody nightmare that has become Constantinople or Smyrna, a catastrophe that would involve the dissolution of the Republic that was built on the blood of our heroes and martyrs.

Tassos Papadopoulos may have died, but men like him, not only Hellenes, but GREAT HELLENES, who face the enemy with defiance and keep a special zone of love in their great hearts for our people, will live forever, and live in  all of us who will never give up, never turn our backs on the struggle to free THE GREAT ISLAND of its merciless occupiers, they inspire us, and give us hope to continue the struggle, to remind all of us continually that we do not forget  and we cannot forget the crimes against Hellenic humanity. We carry on in hope that one day there will once again be a leader who will be a GREAT HELLENE and will lead our people to freedom and inspire us all to rise up and vanquish forever the barbaric oppressors who enslave us. Until that day, we live with the inspiration of the GREAT HELLENE.

FAREWELL GREAT HELLENE.  ΑΝΤΙΟ ΜΕΓΑΛΟ ΕΛΛΗΝΑ .

Nikolaos Taneris, Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA)

www.cyprusactionnetwork.org

For Further Reference:

Let us remember one of the great instances of the Hellenic Nation.

Ας θυμηθούμε μία από τις μεγάλες στιγμές του Ελληνικού Έθνους

Visit this You Tube: Tasos Papadopoulos oxi sto shedio anan oxi sti dihotomisi:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tikGkhvLBoQ

«Παρέλαβα Κράτος διεθνώς αναγνωρισμένο. Δεν θα παραδώσω “κοινότητα” χωρίς δικαίωμα λόγου διεθνώς και σε αναζήτηση κηδεμόνα. Και όλα αυτά έναντι κενών, παραπλανητικών, δήθεν, προσδοκιών. Έναντι της ανεδαφικής ψευδαίσθησης ότι η Τουρκία θα τηρήσει τις δεσμεύσεις της».

Τάσσος Παπαδόπουλος

7 Απριλίου 2004

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‘A fearless warrior is dead’ (An entry by a patriotic Greek-Cypriot blogger in London, Hellenic Antidote)

Including a short bio and excerpts and links to Tassos Papadopoulos’ great speech to the Nation.

URL:  http://hellenicantidote.blogspot.com/2008/12/fearless-unwavering-warrior-is-dead.html

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Cyprus Action Network of America (CANA)

2578 Broadway #132

New York, NY 10025

New York: Tel. 917-699-9935

Email: cana@cyprusactionnetwork.org

www.cyprusactionnetwork.org

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Let us remember one of the great instances of the Hellenic Nation.

Ας θυμηθούμε μία από τις μεγάλες στιγμές του Ελληνικού Έθνους