Türkiye marks 6th anniversary of foiled coup

ANKARA

Türkiye is commemorating the sixth anniversary of the July 15 thwarted coup across the country with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other senior government officials attending events in Ankara and Istanbul.

The first ceremony on the Democracy and National Unity Day was held at the July 15 Monument in Ankara and then the parliament. 

Some 251 persons were martyred at the hands of the FETÖ, a terror group loyal to Fethullah Gülen who is in self-exile in the United States. FETÖ members within the Turkish Armed Forces tried to overthrow the government on July 15 by bombing the presidency, the Parliament and many other governmental institutions. The coup attempt was thwarted after tens of thousands of people hit the streets to stand against the coup plotters.

Later in the day,President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was scheduled to address the people at a meeting in the Saraçhane district of Istanbul where a ceremony was be held in the name of Democracy and National Unity Day.

In the meantime, the Communication Directorate organized widespread ceremonies across the country to mark July 15 under the motto of “For the love of Türkiye.” The events displayed the people’s resistance against the plotters through short movies and clips to be shown in the main squares of many cities.

On the night of July 15, a small military junta, accused of being members of the FETÖ, attempted to overthrow the elected government using heavy weaponry, including fighter jets, helicopters and tanks.

Thousands of citizens across the country went out on the streets in a bid to stop the coup plotters through the night when more than 250 people were killed and over 2,000 others injured while resisting coup soldiers.

Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge was shut down by soldiers at around 10 p.m. and the parliament was under rocket attack. Jets flew by buildings in Istanbul and Ankara, and the state broadcaster TRT was taken hostage.

Government officials took turns on various television broadcasters until early in the morning on July 16, reassuring citizens that they remained on duty.

After the failed coup, July 15 was declared a public holiday in Türkiye.

Parliament unanimously had passed a bill to mark the anniversary as “Democracy and National Solidarity Day.”

In the immediate aftermath of the coup, a number of structures and public spaces were renamed, most notably Istanbul’s Bosphorus Bridge, which was retitled the “July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge.