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Cypriot British

File:Stelios launches easyOffice.jpg Notable Cypriot Britons: Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou · Tracy Emin · George Michael · Leon Osman
Regions with significant populations
London
Languages
English, Greek, Turkish
Religion
Cypriot Orthodox Church, Islam
Related ethnic groups
Greeks, Turks, Cypriot

The Cypriot British community consists of British people born on, or with ancestors from, the Mediterranean island of Cyprus. Cypriot British people may be of either Greek, Turkish or mixed descent.

History

Prior to the First World War, very few Cypriots migrated to the UK and the Cypriot population at this time is given as around 150 by historian Stavros Panteli. Only a handful of marriages at London's Greek Orthodox Cathedral of Saint Sophia in the years before 1918 are recorded as involving Cypriots. During the war, however, many Cypriots joined the allied forces. When the British annexed Cyprus in 1914, Cypriots' political status changed and they found it easier to travel.

The 1931 British Census recorded more than 1,000 Cypriot-born people, but many of these were the children of British military personnel serving in the Mediterranean. However, some Greek Cypriots did migrate to the UK in the 1920s and 1930s, often finding jobs in the catering industry in Soho. By the start of the Second World War, there were around 8,000 Cypriots in London.

More Cypriot immigrants arrived during EOKA's campaign for Cypriot independence, which started in 1955. In the four years of conflict, an average of 4,000 Cypriots left the island per year for the UK. Migration peaked following independence in 1960, with around 25,000 Cypriots migrating in the year that followed. Many migrants joined family already living in Britain. Further migration accompanied the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974. Home Office figures show that roughly 10,000 Cypriots fled to the UK, the majority of them refugees, but many of them subsequently returned to the island.

In the 1960s, Greek Cypriots in London outnumbered Turkish Cypriots by four to one. Increasing post-war rents in central London had forced many Cypriot immigrants to move north within the city. The two communities tended to be geographically segregated, with Greeks settling mainly in Camden and Turks in Stoke Newington. Robert Winder reports that "Haringey became the second biggest Cypriot town in the world". Many Cypriots set up restaurants, filling a gap left by Italians, many of whom had been interned during the Second World War.

Much of the Turkish Cypriot migration to the UK occurred as a consequence of intercommunal violence in Cyprus during the 1950s and 1960s. Many Turkish Cypriots viewed the EOKA insurgency as an attempt on the part of Greek Cypriots to establish hegemony on the island with the aim of achieving union with Greece. By 1958, there were around 8,500 Turkish Cypriots in Britain. Between 1960 and 1962, the inflow increased substantially because of a fear that Britain would impose immigration controls.

While much of the expansion of Britain's Turkish Cypriot community took place between the late 1940s and the mid 1960s, there was a further influx of around 3,000 immigrants after partition in 1974. Migration continued because of the political and economic situation in the the 1970s and 1980s and Turkish Cypriots continue to migrate to the UK due to high unemployment rates in northern Cyprus.

Population

The 2001 UK Census recorded 77,673 Cypriot-born people residing in the UK. Of the 77,156 Cypriot-born people living in mainland Britain, 60 per cent live in areas of London with Turkish communities. Analysis of the Census shows that Cypriot-born people are found in large numbers in the London boroughs of Enfield, Haringey, Barnet and Hackney. The Census tracts with the highest number of Cypriot-born people are Palmers Green, Upper Edmonton, Cockfosters, Lower Edmonton, Tottenham North and Tottenham South. Outside of London, concentrations are found in Borehamwood, Cheshunt, and Bristol. The number of Cypriot-born people in Britain has fallen from 78,191 in 1991.

According to the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK which is an umbrella organisation representing the Cypriot community associations and groups across the UK with largely Greek Cypriot memberships, there are more than 300,000 people of Cypriot ancestry in the UK which it represents, although they do not state whether this includes Turkish Cypriots or not. One estimate states that there are 130,000 nationals of the breakaway Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus currently residing in the UK, whereas the Museum of London reports that there are 100,000 Turkish Cypriots in Britain – 20,000 more than in Cyprus.

Notable Cypriot British people

A number of Cypriot British people are well-known in the UK and overseas. These include George Michael, who was born in London to a Greek Cypriot father; entrepreneur Stelios Haji-Ioannou; Andreas Liveras, a Cypriot-born businessman killed in the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks; Theo Paphitis, an entrepreneur and TV personality; artist Tracey Emin, who has a Turkish Cypriot father; and fashion designer Hussein Chalayan, who was born in Nicosia. Footballer Leon Osman is eligible to play for the Turkish Cyprus national football team since his father is a citizen of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

See also

• Greek British
• Turkish British

References

1. ^ "Born abroad: Cyprus". BBC. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
2. ^ "Country-of-birth database". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
3. ^ Panteli, Stavros. "The Greek Cypriot diaspora: An overview of the UK experience". Cypriot Diaspora Project. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
4. ^ Winder, Robert (2004). Bloody Foreigners: The Story of Immigration to Britain. London: Abacus. pp. 360–362. ISBN 0349115664.
5. ^ "Cypriot London". BBC London. 2008-05-13. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
6. ^ "Greek Cypriot London". Museum of London. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
7. ^ Orphanides, Kika (1986). "The Cypriot Community in Britain". In Coombe, Vivienne; Little, Alan (ed.). Race & Social Work: A Guide to Training. London: Routledge. pp. 80–87. ISBN 0422793809.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: editors list (link)
8. ^ Robins, Kevin (2001). "From spaces of identity to mental spaces: Lessons from Turkish-Cypriot cultural experience in Britain". Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 27 (4): 685–711. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
9. ^ "Turkish Cypriot London". Museum of London. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
10. ^ Humayun, Ansari (2004). 'The Infidel Within': Muslims in Britain Since 1800. London: C Hurst & Co. pp. 153–154. ISBN 1850656851.
11. Bhatti, F.M. (1981). Turkish Cypriots in London. Research Papers. Vol. 11. Birmingham: Centre for the Study of Islam and Christian-Muslim Relations.
12. Østergaard-Nielsen, Eva (2003). "The democratic deficit of diaspora politics: Turkish Cypriots in Britain and the Cyprus issue". Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies. 29 (4): 683–700.
13. ^ Kyambi, Sarah (2005). Beyond Black and White: Mapping New Immigrant Communities. London: Institute for Public Policy Research. pp. 60–61. ISBN 186030284X.
14. Chaglar, Alkan (November 2007). "National Federation of UK Cypriots reaches out to Turkish Cypriots". Toplum Postasi. Retrieved 2008-12-08.
15. "About us". National Federation of Cypriots in the UK. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
16. Edwards, Viv. "Turkish today". Your Voice. BBC. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
17. "George Michael's highs and lows". BBC News. 2008-09-21. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
18. Boyle, Catherine (2008-11-15). "Business big shot: Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, entrepreneur". The Times. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
19. Naughton, Philippe (2008-11-27). "British yachting tycoon Andreas Liveras killed in Bombay terror attacks". The Times. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
20. "Talking Shop: Theo Paphitis". BBC News. 2008-07-21. Retrieved 2008-12-07.
21. "About Leon Osman". Retrieved 2008-12-21.

• British people of Cypriot descent
• Cypriot diaspora
• English people of Cypriot descent
• Ethnic groups in the United Kingdom