Winter Night
the darkness falls
the enemies enslaved
the great thief

Evagoras Pallikarides was born on the 27th February 1938 in the village of Tsada, at the Paphos District. Ever since he was a student, he was distinguished for his combativeness and his love for his country. The “first fighting action of Evagoras Pallikarides”, as it is characteristically remarked by the Great Cyprus Encyclopaedia, “was his bold action to bring down the English flag from the vestibules of Iakovion Stadium of Paphos on the 2nd June 1953, the day of the coronation of the queen. His action, as stated in the same Encyclopaedia, “constituted the sparkle for the fighting protests” which managed to cause the cancellation of the planned celebrations of the English in Paphos.

In 1954, Evagoras Pallikarides was initiated in E.O.K.A. From 1954 until the official beginning of the fight, on April 1955, he contributed to the preparing and organization of the teams.

During the fight, he took part in ambushes and protests. On one of these protests, on 17TH November 1955, he was arrested and after he was charged for disturbance, he was released. His trial was set for the 6th December 1955.

A day before his trial, he decided to become a guerilla on the mountains. He took part in ambushes and attacks against the English troops for a year. One of the most important ambushes that he took part in was in our village, Lysos. “For his rebellious action”, as the Great Cyprus Encyclopaedia remarks, “he was proclaimed by the English for the amount of 5000 pounds which was extremely large at the time”.     

On the 18th December 1956, the English ambushed the insurgent team of Evagoras Pallikarides while they were carrying supplies. It was then that Pallikarides was arrested. At the point where the hero was arrested, the residents of the village of Lysos constructed the aforementioned monument. 

After his arrest, he was lead to the Central Prisons. On 25th February he was sentenced to death by hanging. Pallikarides was lead to the gallows with an insuperable strength. “The whole of Cyprus will eternally remember him with gratitude and will honour the Hero student and poet of Paphos”, wrote Assiotis for the youngest out of nine brave men that were lead to the gallows.

It is worth mentioning that next to the hiding-place of the insurgent team of Pallikarides, on a location known by the name “Vouno tis Proseuhis” (The Mountain of Prayer), lays a marble plaque with the names of the suppliers, the messengers and everybody who took part in the insurgent team, written on it. The following are written on the plaque:

Sources:
Georgiou Yiagkou Assioti, O Agonas tis E.O.K.A. 1955-59 (The Fight of E.O.K.A. 1955-59), Nicosia 1997
Great Cyprus Encyclopaedia, vol.11