The island’s EOKA headquarters should be declared a historical protected monument, the Association of Fighters of the City and District of Limassol (Sapel) has said.

It is also collecting signatures, which will be sent with a memorandum, to the prime minister of Greece and the Cyprus President.

Sapel held a rally on Saturday afternoon at the EOKA headquarters in Limassol, where the hideout and grave of General Georgios Grivas Digenis are located, with citizens signing the petition to the two governments.

The memorandum claims that “today, the trustees of the Digenis Foundation in Athens are selling off to foreign investors the hideout, the tomb and the statue of the EOKA leader”, while it spoke of “sacrilege, desecration, humiliation”.

The association also called on the two governments to transfer responsibility for the headquarters to the Church of Cyprus.

It has also called for the building to not be used for any other purpose following an announcement in April that tenders were being sought for concession at the site, in addition to creating an EOKA museum there.