Career
The demonstrator"s demand was for the complete withdrawal of Turkish troops from the island, and the return of Cypriot refugees to their homes. Isaac was killed by a mob of Turkish people in the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus. In August 1996, in order to commemorate the 22nd year of Cyprus being a divided country, over 200 bikers from several European countries had organized a rally from Berlin (the last divided city in Europe other than Nicosia) to Kyrenia.
They left Berlin on 2 August and were planning to arrive at their destination on the 11th where they would be joined by Cypriot bikers.
Due to heavy political pressure (even by the United Nations Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali) being applied to the Cypriot Motorcycle Federation to cancel the 11 August event, CMF finally succumbed. This was met with disapproval by a large portion of the bikers and other protesters, who decided to march on their own.
Among them was Tassos Isaac, who together with other demonstrators, entered the United Nations Buffer Zone in Cyprus near Deryneia, just south of the town of Famagusta. During the confrontation in the United Nations buffer zone between the Cypriot bikers and the Turkish Grey Wolves, Isaac found himself trapped in barbed-wire without his co-protesters noticing he was left behind.
Soon, a large group of Grey Wolves ran towards him and attacked him.
They continued for several minutes, unchallenged by the nearby United Nations peacekeepers. By the time the Cypriots managed to take him back from the mob, aided by the United Nations peacekeepers, Tassos Isaac was dead. According to a video footage that captured the attack, along with the United Nations peacekeepers, a Turkish Cypriot policeman was also watching nearby without intervening.
Tassos Isaac"s funeral was held on 14 August 1996 and was attended by thousands of people.
As a token of gratitude for his "services" to Greece, the Greek government decided to be the godparent of the yet unborn baby. When the baby girl was born, she was baptised Anastasia (after her father) by the then Greek Minister of Foreign Affairs Theodoros Pangalos.
The Greek singer Haris Alexiou has dedicated to her the song "Tragoudi tou Helidhoniou" ("Swallow"s Song").
