Speech points up Turkey’s divisions
President labels political rival as treasonous
ISTANBUL — Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Saturday used the first anniversary of a coup attempt against his government to accuse his main political opponent of treason and portray civilian resistance to the plot as a triumph of the Muslim faithful.
Erdogan’s fiery speech before a massive crowd in Istanbul highlighted the lingering trauma of the failed coup, which killed 250 people over the course of a terrifying night and day of violence.
The government has blamed the coup attempt on loyalists of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric who lives in exile in Pennsylvania. On that night, authorities said, renegade soldiers loyal to Gulen used tanks, planes and helicopters to occupy or attack television stations and public buildings, including parliament, and were defeated after Erdogan rallied citizens to the streets.
The murky timeline of the coup attempt and the staggering number of people caught up in the ensuing crackdown have fueled the apprehension. About 150,000 people have been dismissed or suspended from their jobs, and 50,000 have been arrested. A state of emergency that gives the government extraordinary powers has remained in effect for almost a year, leading critics to charge that Erdogan seized on the coup attempt to bolster his power.
The commemorative events Saturday, planned in meticulous detail by the government, seemed designed to convey the sense of a national coming together.
“Today is the day the country was saved,” Ibrahim Agagul said as he looked at the pictures Saturday outside an Istanbul municipal building where 20 people were killed. “Today, the people wrote a saga.”