Tens of thousands of people rallied in Istanbul on Sunday night to mark the second anniversary of the failed military coup in July 2016.
The rally, named the “Democracy and National Unity Day Meeting,” took place on the “July 15 Martyrs Bridge,” where 34 people were killed during confrontations between civilians and soldiers on July 15th, 2016.
A total of 251 people were killed in violent clashes across the country in the hours before the coup was foiled. The Turkish government is still seeking the extradition of Islamic preacher Fethullah Gülen from the United States, who they accuse of masterminding the coup. Gülen has vehemently denied involvement with the incident, and coup organizers issued a statement during the coup identifying themselves as constitutional secularists, not Gülenist Islamists.
According to the Turkish newspaper Hurriyet, the rally began with a moment of silence for the coup’s victims before a recital of the Quran and the singing of the national anthem. Participants were also seen waving Turkish flags chanting slogans such as “martyrs do not die, the country is not divided” and “every Turk was born a soldier.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, recently re-elected for a further six-year term despite claims of vote rigging, addressed the rally after attending a march with the families and friends of those killed during the fighting. He spoke of the “big struggle for democracy” while hailing the “revival of the Turkish nation.”
“Today, we feel deep sorrow and immense pride in our hearts at the same time,” he declared. “This victory is a result of the courage of our martyrs and veterans, who challenged tanks and planes … Turkey has closed the chapter of coups and it will never reopen again.”
“July 15 will never be forgotten. We will never forget those who prayed for us and those who helped the Fetullah Terrorist Organization,” he continued. “We have cut the octopus’s tentacles.”
Some expat Turkish communities also held commemorations, with demonstrators planting 250 trees in the southern Bosnian city of Mostar.
Since the attempted coup, Erdogan has led a crackdown on tens of thousands of individuals those believed to be associated with the Gülen movement, that has targeted everything from elements of the Turkish military and religious leaders to journalists, low-level civil servants, and private businesses.
Despite growing evidence of systematic human rights violations and undermining of democracy, the U.S. continues to maintain support for Erdogan’s government that many have likened to a dictatorship.
“The failed coup attempt two years ago in Turkey was an attack on democracy and a stark reminder that the preservation of democracy requires perseverance & safeguards for fundamental freedoms,” State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement on Sunday. “We reaffirm steadfast support for our Nato Ally Turkey & its democratic institutions.”
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
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