EOKA B (Greek: Εθνική Οργάνωση Κυπρίων Αγωνιστών Β, Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston B), also rendered as EOKA‑B, was a Greek Cypriot paramilitary organization active from 1971 to 1978. It was founded by General Georgios Grivas, the former leader of the 1955–1959 anti‑British insurgency known as EOKA.
Ideology and Objectives
EOKA‑B pursued an ultra‑right‑wing, nationalist agenda that sought the enosis of Cyprus with Greece. Its platform combined Greek nationalism, anti‑communism, and anti‑Turkish sentiment, positioning the group on the far‑right of the political spectrum. The organization aimed to block any settlement of the Cyprus dispute that it considered unacceptable and to overthrow President Archbishop Makarios III, whom it regarded as an obstacle to enosis.
Organizational Structure and Support
- Leadership: Georgios Grivas (founder and commander until his illness in 1973 and death in January 1974) and later Athanasios Sklavenitis.
- Headquarters: Operated clandestinely throughout Cyprus.
- Allies: Received support from the Greek military junta (1967–1974) after January 1974 and from the left‑wing Progressive Front.
Main Activities
EOKA‑B engaged in armed violence against both civilian and military targets, including:
- Participation in the 1974 Cypriot coup d'état that temporarily deposed Makarios.
- Involvement in the Turkish invasion of Cyprus that followed the coup.
- Conduct of terrorist attacks such as the Maratha, Santalaris and Aloda massacre (1974), the kidnapping of the son of President Spyros Kyprianou, and alleged participation in the assassination of U.S. Ambassador Rodger Paul Davies.
The group’s actions against Turkish Cypriots and perceived political opponents led the Republic of Cyprus to label EOKA‑B a criminal organization and to outlaw it after Grivas’s death.
Decline and Dissolution
Following Grivas’s death in January 1974 and the collapse of the supporting Greek junta, EOKA‑B’s operational capacity waned. Internal divisions, loss of external backing, and increasing legal pressure culminated in the organization’s official disbandment on 11 February 1978.
Legacy
EOKA‑B remains a contentious element of modern Cypriot history. While its predecessor EOKA (1955–1959) is often portrayed as an anti‑colonial liberation movement, EOKA‑B is widely regarded as a far‑right extremist group whose violent tactics targeted both Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriot political figures opposed to enosis. The legacy of its actions continues to influence discussions on the Cyprus dispute, collective memory, and the historiography of nationalist militancy on the island.