Police officer mistakes mourner standing to commemorate Atatürk as protester

ISTANBUL

People stand for one minute of silence in remembrance of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk at 09:05 am on Nov. 10. AA Photo

A police officer reported a “demonstration” on a main road in Istanbul's Esenyurt district after assuming that a man standing outside his car for the one minute of silence in commemoration of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s death was staging a protest.

The officer notified the police station about a “protest” at 09:05 a.m., the time when the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Atatürk, died 76 years ago. Every Nov. 10, a siren is played across the country to mark Atatürk's time of death, as citizens stand in one minute of silence.

“Someone standing in the road is staging a protest,” the officer said over the police radio.

The police station, however, corrected him, saying it was a move that complies with the meaning and importance of the day.