Seven years later, the Turkish nation will once again fill the streets and squares just as they did when they resisted the putschists of the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ). Democracy and National Unity Day is set to be marked on Saturday across the country to commemorate 251 people killed by soldiers affiliated with the terrorist group. The day will also be a display of unity for the prevalence of democracy, in the spirit of monthslong "democracy watch" after the coup attempt where people gathered on the streets every night to demonstrate solidarity with the elected government.
Along with traditional commemoration ceremonies in 81 provinces, special events will be held at hot spots of July 15, including Parliament in the capital Ankara, which was attacked by putschists. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş will address an event at Parliament where lawmakers from all parties gathered despite airstrikes in a display of unity against coup plotters.
The coup attempt was unique in many aspects for Türkiye whose democratic history was stained with major coups since 1960. For the first time, the nation braved putschists and a semi-passive resistance, ranging from unarmed people standing in the way of tanks to drivers parking their trucks on the roads to block a military convoy of putschists. Their resistance succeeded in staving off the attempt. Until the early hours of July 16, 2016, people in every city and town showed strong resistance to the surprise of putschists, who had expected an easy takeover.
FETÖ, which posed under the guise of a religious movement for decades, recruiting the youth to its ranks with the ultimate goal of seizing control of Türkiye, was already under investigation when the 2016 coup attempt took place. It first tried to topple the elected government in late 2013, but this attempt (through a false anti-graft probe targeting government officials launched by pro-FETÖ prosecutors and police) failed. The government was preparing to weed out suspected infiltrators of FETÖ from the army in August 2016 before they moved to seize power.
Investigations after the coup attempt have uncovered communication between members of FETÖ, from "civilian" members to military officers loyal to the group for planning the attempt. The group's leader Fetullah Gülen, known for his cryptic messages to his followers, had also called on them to stage a coup in a speech in March 2016, further investigation revealed.
The coup attempt by the group calling itself the Peace at Home Council was commanded by pro-FETÖ officers at Akıncı Air Base in Ankara. F-16 jets took off from the base on July 15, 2016, to bomb strategic locations, including the Presidential Complex and Parliament. Both buildings sustained damage but ultimately endured the attacks. However, bombings killed dozens of police officers at the headquarters of a special operation branch of the police. Members of law enforcement and anti-coup soldiers were the only opponents of putschists, along with patriotic citizens armed with nothing but Turkish flags and a strong will.
The nation became aware of something unusual when almost simultaneous troop movements were reported in most cities, with tanks rolling on busy thoroughfares and fighter jets flying low. When the news of two major bridges in Istanbul blocked by soldiers came in, people sensed this might be indeed another coup. When an anchorwoman on public broadcaster TRT, forced at gunpoint by putschists, read a statement by the council, more people took to the streets to confront the soldiers. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, who barely escaped from assassins while he was on vacation in southwestern Türkiye, made a public appearance, through a live video call on a TV station, as he headed to Istanbul to rally the nation. Erdoğan's call to people to take to the streets in the name of democracy around midnight found widespread support and by noon the next day, most putschist officers had either surrendered or were captured by police and anti-coup officers as they were cornered by crowds stopping them.
Along with strong civilian resistance, the actions of some military officers like Ömer Halisdemir were critical to quell the coup attempt. Halisdemir shot dead Gen. Semih Terzi, a high-ranking commander who sought to capture the headquarters of the Special Forces of the Turkish army. Halisdemir, killed by Terzi's accomplices, is hailed as a hero.
Other heroes of the fateful night include some three dozen civilians gunned down by putschists as they tried to enter the army's headquarters in Ankara, which was taken over by putschists. A large number of people were also killed on Bosporus Bridge (renamed July 15 Martyrs' Bridge) in Istanbul as they braved heavily armed soldiers and marched, despite indiscriminating gunfire from putschists. Among them were Erol Olçok, a close friend of President Erdoğan, and his 16-year-old son, Abdullah Tayyip.
The bridge is among the places where the victims of the coup attempt are set to be remembered on Saturday. A giant Turkish flag is set to adorn the bridge in memory of the heroes. Erdoğan was scheduled to attend a commemoration ceremony at Istanbul's Beylerbeyi Stadium, situated next to the July 15 Martyrs' Bridge and a few hundred meters away from a monument erected in memory of martyrs. At 12:13 a.m. on Sunday, muezzins are scheduled to recite sala, originally a prayer call in Islam recited for funerals but also in times of nationwide tragedies as well as for mobilization of the public, at the exact same time it was recited on July 16, 2016.
