Turkey is today holding its first cross-party rally to condemn the recent bloody coup attempt against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, as his government presses on with a purge of suspected state enemies.
The mass pro-democracy event, to be held under tight security on Istanbul’s iconic Taksim square from 1500 GMT today, was called for by the biggest opposition group, the secular and center-left Republican People’s Party.
But to signal patriotic unity, it will be joined by Erdogan’s Islamic-conservative AKP, whose followers have turned city squares red with seas of Turkish flags every night since the failed putsch.
An AKP official says the party would work to prevent any trouble with opposition supporters, stressing that: “We’re trying to turn these rallies into an opportunity for national unity and a jointly celebrated democracy festival.”
A woman waves flags during a pro-Erdogan rally in Taksim square in Istanbul on July 22, 2016, following the failed military coup attempt of July 15. (AFP PHOTO/OZAN KOSE)
— AFP
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you, David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, July 24, 2016
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on Google
