Çavuşoğlu condemns racist and fascist propaganda in South Cyprus schools
Minister of National Education Nazım Çavuşoğlu strongly reacted to reports that young children were made to chant war slogans and that EOKA was portrayed as heroic during events marking the organization’s founding anniversary.
Çavuşoğlu stressed that using children as instruments of ideological conflict was unacceptable.
Minister of National Education Nazım Çavuşoğlu stated that they had been following with concern and sadness reports of young children being encouraged to chant war slogans and of the terrorist organization being glorified as part of EOKA’s anniversary events.
According to a statement from the ministry, Çavuşoğlu stressed in a written announcement that involving children in such ceremonies was unacceptable.
He also noted that Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides describing the planting of “seeds of hostility” in children’s minds as a “national duty,” and stressing the transfer of the “EOKA struggle” to future generations, seriously harmed efforts toward lasting peace on the island.
Çavuşoğlu pointed out that such activities instilled hostility, hatred, and violence in children, posing a threat to the future.
He reminded that EOKA was a bloody organization that carried out attacks against many innocent people, primarily civilian Turkish Cypriots, with the aim of ethnic cleansing on the island.
Condemning propaganda conducted in schools, Minister Çavuşoğlu called on the Greek Cypriot leadership to end the use of children as tools in political and ideological conflicts.
“Educational environments should be places where peace, tolerance, and a culture of coexistence are built—not hatred. A responsible, constructive, and sincere approach must be adopted to establish lasting peace on the island” he said.
