The cost of ‘safe
Experts predict fearful Brits will avoid countries with potential for terrorist attacks and unrest
CIVILIANS reclaimed Turkey from their own military yesterday after helping to end a coup to overthrow ruling President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Ordinary Turks dragged rifle-wielding soldiers from their tanks and beat them as they took back control of their country in dramatic fashion. In one striking image, a Turkish civilian whipped rebel fighters with his belt after they had surrendered to police.
President Erdogan told the nation his government was in charge after the coup attempt on Friday brought a night of explosions, air battles and gunfire that left at least 161 dead and 1500 wounded.
He also called on people to “keep on owning the streets” over fears of a fresh uprising.
The chaos capped a period of political turmoil in Turkey which critics blame on Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian rule, which has included a government shake-up, a crackdown on dissidents and opposition media and renewed conflict in the mainly Kurdish areas of the south-east.
Fighting continued throughout yesterday with the sounds of huge blasts echoing across the capital Ankara and Istanbul.
More than 2800 soldiers, including high-ranking officers, have been arrested.
Meanwhile, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim described the night as a “dark stain for Turkish democracy”.
He pinned blame for the attempted coup on a “parallel terrorist organisation” – a reference to the movement led by Fethullah Gulen, a powerful but reclusive US-based Muslim cleric. people are booking for their holidays.
“You can draw a line from Turkey right across north Africa where you can see the affects of terrorism and, to a lesser extent, the refugee crisis.
“The Americans have issued a travel warning about Turkey and the FCO have also had their say.
“People are having to make tough decisions about where they are going to go on holiday, if at all.”
He added: “Holidaymakers will have to contend with higher prices in places like Spain, with hotels cashing in on greater demand.
“But they need to be careful, because many people will just keep their money in their wallets.
“The entire industry is facing a rollercoaster future.”
More than 2.5 million Brits visit Turkey each year. However, along with Tunisia and Egypt, it is no longer considered safe by many holidaymakers.
Its reputation as a family-friendly destination took another dent yesterday when the Foreign Office urged tourists to “stay indoors” and “avoid public places” while some airlines cancelled flights to and from the country.
One of those was the Turkish Airlines flight from Edinburgh to Istanbul which was supposed to take off at 10.45am yesterday.
As a result of its cancellation dozens of stranded passengers queued at the airline’s information desk as they awaited news of alternative travel plans.