Several modern, democratic countries have moments in history that are either the beginning of an era or a turning point. Such moments include the Glorious Revolution of 1688 in England, the War of Independence in America in 1776, and the French Revolution.
During the Glorious Revolution of England, there was an internal conflict between the parliament and the throne that ended with the victory of the parliament; from then on the king became a symbolic figure. The American war of independence took place against the English. After independence, a “representative republic” was established based on separation, control, and balance of power. The French Revolution erupted between ordinary civilians and the aristocracy supported by the king, and ended with the dethroning of the monarch. And Turkey’s glorious resistance of July 15 now takes its place alongside these historical events.
The July 15, 2016 bloody coup d’état, attempted an attack against a secular, democratic, social, and constitutional state and against law and order. That night Turkish people have risked their blood and lives to defend a government elected by the people through a democratic system. The Turkish people demonstrated their devotion to democracy on the city squares. Old and young, men and women, the whole nation united. Tragically, 250 Turkish citizens lost their lives during this violent terror campaign – of those, 179 innocent civilians who just stood bravely in front of the tanks and reclaimed their democratic rights. More than 2,000 Turkish citizens were wounded
That Night, people were armed with nothing but their innocent bodies and their honourable stance. Many people standing in front of tanks in the streets in Istanbul and Ankara also prevented the coup attempt, as police detained hundreds of soldiers during operations. Tanks rolled over cars parked on the roads to prevent them from driving toward security buildings. People rode their cars and motorcycles straight towards the tanks. People defied warnings from police, confronted the soldiers directly and boldly questioned why they were there. And some of them were shot.
They told themself that if we die here, well, we die. Because People knew that If FETO won that night, they would be in FETO hands for another hundred years. And all of them said that night no matter how much we suffer, we would not give up our lands and would not surrender them to anybody.
As a result Turkish democracy was protected by ordinary citizens who had gathered to oppose the coup. Turkish people proved to the whole world that “if the masses move, there is no space for the military and dictatorships”. Once again, Turkish democracy had proved its credentials.
