The 1 April Attacks were a series of attacks across Cyprus in 1955 by the Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA) which led to the start of the

Cyprus Emergency The Cyprus Emergency was a conflict fought in British Cyprus between April 1955 and March 1959. The National Organisation of Cypriot Fighters (EOKA), a Greek Cypriot right-wing nationalist guerrilla organisation, began an armed campaign in s ...

. Multiple British locations were attacked after midnight by EOKA members. This attack was accompanied by the distribution of leaflets across Cyprus.

Attack

On the night of 31 March–1 April 1955, simultaneous attacks were launched across the island after midnight at various British or British-linked facilities, including: *in

Nicosia Nicosia, also known as Lefkosia and Lefkoşa, is the capital and largest city of Cyprus. It is the southeasternmost of all EU member states' capital cities. Nicosia has been continuously inhabited for over 5,500 years and has been the capi ...

, the government radio station, the Secretariat, the Education Office and the installations behind Wolseley barracks (this attack was led by Markos Drakos); *in Larnaca, the central police station, the district administration, the court building, the police superintendent's home, Commissioner Muftizade's home; *in

Limassol Limassol, also known as Lemesos, is a city on the southern coast of Cyprus and capital of the Limassol district. Limassol is the second-largest urban area in Cyprus after Nicosia, with an urban population of 195,139 and a district population o ...

, the central police station, the police station of Ayios Ioannis quarter, the Episkopi garrison; in Limassol district also sustained heavy damage by the explosions. *in Famagusta district, the depot of the army camp near the Famagusta-Larnaca road, the fuel tank of the Dhekelia garrison power station. (The latter attack was led by Grigoris Afxentiou). During this attack, Modestos Panteli of the EOKA died from electric shock trying to cut a cable, the first casualty of the Emergency. The attacks were accompanied by the distribution of leaflets from

EOKA The Ethniki Organosis Kyprion Agoniston (EOKA ; ) was a Greek Cypriot nationalist guerrilla organization that fought a campaign for the end of Cyprus#Cyprus under the British Empire, British rule in Cyprus, and for enosis, eventual union with K ...

claiming responsibility and calling on Cypriots to participate in the struggle. Several EOKA officers were arrested in connection to the attacks and sentenced to long prison terms."The EOKA struggle during the Governorship of Armitage (1 April - 3 October 1955)", ''A history of the liberation struggle of EOKA (1955-1959)''
accessed 7 November 2013

References

{{reflist Cyprus Emergency Conflicts in 1955 April 1955 in Europe Attacks on police stations in the 1950s 1955 crimes in Cyprus Attacks on military installations in the 1950s Attacks on police stations in Cyprus Explosions in 1955 Terrorist incidents in Cyprus Terrorist incidents in Asia in 1955 Building bombings in Cyprus 1950s building bombings