President Ersin Tatar issues a written message on the 67th anniversary of the January 27-28, 1958 Resistance
President Ersin Tatar issued a written message on the anniversary of the Turkish Cypriot people’s resistance against the British Colonial Administration on January 27-28, 1958.
The message of the President said:
“On this 67th anniversary, we are once again commemorating with great pride and honour the Resistance shown by the Turkish Cypriot People on January 27-28, 1958, when, for their freedom, independence and sovereignty, our people rose up against the guns, bullets, batons and tear gas of the British Colonial Administration.
This anniversary holds a very important place in our national struggle and history, for it commemorates the Turkish Cypriot People taking a stand and declaring that they will “not bow down to the British and the Greek Cypriots” at a time when the British Colonial Administration together with the Greek Cypriots were attempting to impose their own solution that excluded the Turkish Cypriot People.
The Turkish Cypriot people paid a heavy price for their resistance, they shed blood and sacrificed many lives during the resistance of January 27-28, 1958. Whilst our people demonstrated to the whole world that they were determined to protect their right to decide their own future, they indeed showed to the world their desire to live as a free and independent people, even in the face of death. We lost seven martyrs and many more were wounded in this sacred resistance that continued over a two-day period in Lefkoşa and Gazimağusa. However, our heroic people never surrendered and never gave up.
The January 27-28 Resistance showed to the world that the Turkish Cypriot People were not a minority and would not contemplate being patched onto the Greek Cypriots. Our People showed that there are two separate peoples in Cyprus, and that freedom and sovereignty held an important place in the struggle of the Turkish Cypriot people.
I wish to pay tribute to and remember with respect our martyrs Mehmet Ahmet, Şerif Mehmet, Mustafa Ahmet, İbrahim Ali and Sermet Kanatlı who were martyred in Lefkoşa during the 27-28 January Resistance, and Fuat Yusuf and Safa Muharrem who were martyred in Gazimağusa, as well as all of our martyrs who have sacrificed their lives for our freedom.
May they all rest in eternal peace and may God’s Mercy be upon them.”