Grigoris Afxentiou the Glorified

He was discharged from the ranks of the Greek Army on November 15, 1953 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jABEIl7eYo8
and returned to Cyprus where he helped his father with his business by working as a taxi driver. At that time he also got engaged to be married. He joined the National Organization for the Cypriot Struggle (E.O.K.A.) where he soon became Second in Command, adjutant to EOKA leader George Grivas. [3] He was also assigned the regional command of the district of Famagusta. In the spring of 1955, he conducted attacks against the British-controlled Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation and the electricity company in Nicosia. Known by the code name Zidros (Ζήδρος), since the day of his attacks, he was top of the British list of most wanted men[4]. They had proclaimed a reward of £5,000 pounds sterling for him for blowing up British property [5] [3].

When the reward was proclaimed, he went into hiding in the Pentadactylos mountain range where he trained EOKA fighters on weapon use and guerrilla warfare. He was very active in the Pendadaktylos range as well as on Mount Troodos, which he moved on to later.[citation needed] Whilst still in hiding, in June 1955 he married Vasiliki Panayi, in a secret ceremony.[citation needed]

In 1956, he fell ill with acute appendicitis and following an operation in secret, he disguised himself as a monk as a cover for his recovery period.[citation needed]

On March 3, 1957, after someone had betrayed his location, the British forces surrounded Afxentiou outside his secret hideout near the Machairas Monastery. At the time, inside the hideout was Afxentiou and 4 fellow guerilla fighters. Realising he was outnumbered, Afxentiou ordered his teammates to surrender whilst he barricaded himself for a fight to the death. Unable to drive him out and after sustaining casualties, the British forces resolved to pouring petrol inside his hideout, burning him alive. In fear of popular uprising, the British buried his scorched body at the Imprisoned Graves, in the yard of the Central Jail of Lefkosia, where it lies until today.

Category:

Education

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• Afxentiou
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[GiannisAno1911]

ΜΟΛΩΝ ΛΑΒΕ!!! 

[Bellaangelcz]

My heart bleeds for all the horrific events of war on your country.and still continue today. :( I truely hope your land will be whole again..xx

[lefteris51]

Ο ΑΥΞΕΝΤΙΟΥ ήταν ΗΡΩΑΣ οι άλλοι ανθρωπάρια...

[osfp7gate]

οι εσωτερικοι ειναι οι χειροτεροι εχθροι του εθνους μια ζωη αυτοι οι γαμημενοι μπασταρδοι, να μην αναπαυτουν ποτε στον ταφο τους ευχομαι αυτοι και οποιοι αλλοι ανθελληνες.