Paphos unveils monument honouring 1821 Greek revolution

Former Greek President Prokopis Pavlopoulos on Saturday unveiled a monument in Paphos which commemorates the Greek revolution of 1821.

Speaking at the monument’s unveiling, he said he wished to broadcast two messages which united Hellenism to “defend its freedom and historical perspective”.

“The nation for which the resistance against every conqueror with an unnegotiable ‘no’ on every occasion constitutes a tradition of centuries, from the Greco-Persian wars to the present day,” he began.

“All Hellenism, to the end of the world, under conditions of unbroken unity, is determined to shield, by any legal means and without a trace of retreat, its freedom and territorial integrity, as well as the sovereignty of both the Hellenic Republic and the Republic of Cyprus.”

He added that this message is being sent in the direction of the international community and the European Union, calling on them to “give a proper, practical response to Turkey’s attitude, towards its provocations and threats on the one hand against Greece, and on the other against the martyred Cyprus, a third of which is still suffering under a barbaric Turkish occupation.”

He then said the second message the monument intends to send is that, more than 200 years since the Greek revolution, the fight does not stop.

“March 25 does not constitute a simple anniversary of even historical dimensions. From here, from the martyred Cyprus, we announce to the whole world and primarily to Turkey, that, as Thucydides said, my history is an everlasting possession, not a prize composition which is heard and forgotten,” he said.

He added that this fight will continue “until the last shred of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus is freed from the ruthless Turkish occupying army, but also until the Cyprus problem is resolved with a just and sustainable law.”

“We will not back down even an inch, because we are all Greeks and we are a people of freedom. We are not going to compromise with voices which tell us to make a small retreat. History has taught us that small retreats lead to big defeats.”

Paphos mayor Phedonas Phedonos also spoke at the unveiling, saying it would be “paradoxical if the local authority of a town with an uninterrupted Greek culture dating back 2,300 years did not connect itself with this emblematic event”.

The monument’s construction was completed in August, with Phedonos saying at the time that it will “inspire the next generations with the visions and values of the great struggle, and at the same time transmit to modern society, and especially to the youth, the appropriate messages.”

Its architect Lambrianos Koutsolambros said the goal of the project was to “create a monument which will chronicle the epic but will also be accessible and with multiple uses, since visitors, and especially children, will be able to explore its various aspects”.

He added that the monument will also have QR codes, which people will be able to scan for more information and to read texts and see other works of art about the Greek Revolution.