Hang flags, ruling AKP tells 8.5 million members

ANKARA

Turkish flags wave at a landmark AKP event in Istanbul on June 16. Daily News Photo

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) has issued a circular to 8.5 million party members across 81 provinces to hang flags from their residences and workplaces, as well as from the buildings of party organizations.

The circular was signed by deputy leader Ekrem Erdem, who stated that national and international “dark organizations” were attempting to overshadow the idea of a “great Turkey” through the Gezi Park protests, Anadolu Agency reported yesterday.

The circular provided the rationale of the action, repeating Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s claim that the Turkish flag was burned during the Gezi protests.

A dark plot targeting the AKP government and the people’s will has been identified and disrupted, the circular said. “Those who do not trust the people’s will … might want to restage different versions of this plot with their foreign supporters.”