Turkey: Millions of people on the streets on the anniversary of an unsuccessful coup

A memorial was opened in honor of 250 people who died on the night of failed military coup attempts.

Turkey marks the anniversary of an unsuccessful attempt at a military coup that killed more than 250 and wounded at least 2,000 people. Millions of people across Turkey came out on the streets, and a large number of citizens gathered at the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul on the National Unity Marsh, reports Adnan Rondic, a reporter from Al Jazeera. A memorial was opened in honor of 250 people who died on the night of failed military coup attempts.

Turkey attempts to crack down on Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish imam in the United States of America, of whom the Turkish authorities are demanding his extradition.
In a commemorative communiqué, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim called the traitors of the movement Gulen founded.Yildirim said that in the past year, Turkey has proved its endurance, ability to recover and strength.

"The events that night were an attack on a Turkish state that carried the traitor infiltrated into the Turkish army, linked to a single fool who considers himself a 'cosmic imam'. We were confronted with the assassins who bombed our National Assembly, compared the country with the headquarters of the special police that led our fight against terrorist organizations, tanks moved to the militaries of civilians and opened fire from combat aircraft and helicopters. In our history, we have not experienced this kind of savagery. This terrorist network has killed 250 and wounded more than 2,000 of our citizens, "Yildirim said.

"When we look at this very painful experience, we see two things that make us proud. In the first place are the courage and determination of the Turkish people. Our citizens from all spheres of society and political life went out on the streets to oppose the fugitives. Our television stations continued with the program regardless of the threats and pressure of the fighter. The Turkish people united.

Secondly, the Turkish people have shown the whole world to defend democracy and will defend it in the future. My people have shown that Turkey will not be able to rule armed groups, but only the will of the people and the democratic way of the elected government. The strongest legitimacy is democratic legitimacy. Our country's bright face has passed this difficult democracy test, "the Turkish prime minister said.

He added that Gulen had been plotting for 40 years to take over the Turkish state.

"I can say that, by the measures we have taken, we have broken the backbone of the organization in Turkey. But the danger is not limited to Turkey. This organization in many countries has structures similar to that in Turkey. They now sow seeds in other countries in the state. In order to survive, globally they are even more active in pursuit of economic and political influence. I'm using it once again to warn all our friends about it. "

A series of events

Turkey will hold a series of events today marking the first anniversary of the military coup. Commemorations begin in Ankara with a special session of parliament. Then, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will travel to Istanbul to participate in the national march on a bridge across Bosphorus, where a year ago bloody conflicts broke out, AFP reports. At midnight local time, people across Turkey will take part in the rallies in memory of the release of a large number of people on the streets of July 15 in support of Erdogan. The president will return to Ankara two hours later to hold a speech in parliament, at a time when a building was attacked a year ago.

Monument to the victims

After that, a monument to the victims of the coup will be exposed in front of the presidential palace in the capital, at the moment when a morning prayer is heard. "From now on nothing will be as before on 15 July," Erdogan said in a speech Thursday, stressing that states and peoples have critical milestones in their histories shaping their future, and July 15 is such a date for Turkey. Public transport in Istanbul is free this weekend, while the mobile operator has sent customers text messages, pledging their free extra gigabytes since July 15th.

Also, among the minarets of some of the largest Ottoman mosques in Istanbul, illuminated anti-coup slogans are blasted, such as "Let our unity be eternal." With the inscription "Ep July 15," huge posters on billboards in Istanbul showcase key events on the night of a coup attempt a year ago, including the surrender of the coup.

National holiday

On July 15, Turkish authorities declared a national holiday of democracy and unity, celebrating the collapse of the coup as a historic victory for Turkish democracy. The AFP recalls that 249 people, not including civilians, were killed when a disgruntled military faction sent tanks to the streets and military planes in an effort to overthrow Erdogan, after a decade and a half in power.

• 16 Jul, 2017
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