Turkey marked the sixth anniversary of the July 15 coup attempt, which is both a very proud and sad day for modern Turkish history. I remember the night of the coup attempt in 2016 vividly. We were in our home in Istanbul’s Çengelköy district to welcome a tranquil weekend, reading some books, writing some articles when our telephones started to ring. Something strange was happening on the then-Bosporus bridge (which is now named July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge), our friends and colleagues were asking each other what the reason for this strange event was.
Tanks and soldiers blocked the bridge. It was impossible to cross to either side leading to chaos and a horrible traffic jam, which already crippled Istanbul every Friday night.
First, we thought that there was a risk of a terrorist attack and the troops were taking measures but then it became clear that the tanks and soldiers were not aiming to protect us. Actually quite the contrary, they were the enemy forces; they were terrorists dressed as soldiers who were trying to take control.
Çengelköy, our neighborhood would become one of the most brutal battlegrounds soon. We heard helicopters and F-16 jets crossing over our house and trying to reach President Recep Erdoğan’s residence, which is in Üsküdar’s Kısıklı, a 10-minute drive from our location.
Later on, with President Erdoğan’s speech and prayers from the loudspeakers of mosques, people poured into the streets. Hundreds got killed; the battle lasted all night, with the the sun going up we already knew that the coup plotters could not win but the damage was enormous...
It is important to remember the sacrifices of those who stood in the way of the coup plotters to save democracy in this country.
This night marked the first time in Turkey’s history that a military takeover failed thanks to the help of civilian resistance. Democracy won.
Parliament, the Presidential Complex, security forces, air bases were all attacked... But the people did not give up. After President Erdoğan called them to the streets; thousands came out, 251 were killed and at least 2,700 were injured, but they did not give up in their battle against the Gülenist coup plotters.
At the end, it was the people who prevailed against a treacherous group of soldiers who wanted to overthrow the democratically elected government.
The battle after that night was not easy either. The judiciary and all the state institutions had to be cleansed of the Gülenists in a democratic way within the rule of law. Prosecutors gathered evidence and thousands were caught. Some mistakes were made as well in this major struggle but at the end of the day, most of the Gülenist plotters in Turkey have been caught.
The struggle is still going on. July 15 has become a symbol of the victory of democracy. That night and its morning is a common source of pride for all of this country. It is revenge against all the coups in recent Turkish history...
