In İZMİR, thousands of people gathered in Konak Square at the commemoration event held on the occasion of 15 July Democracy and National Unity Day.
A commemoration event was held in Izmir on the 10th anniversary of the thwarting of the treacherous coup attempt by members of the terrorist organization FETO on July 15, 2016. The ceremony held in Konak Square; Izmir Governor Süleyman Elban, Aegean Army and Garrison Commander General İrfan Özsert, Coast Guard Aegean Sea Region Commander Rear Admiral Tayfun Paşaoğlu, İzmir Police Chief Celal Sel, İzmir Provincial Gendarmerie Commander Major General Dr. Metin Düz, AK Party MKYK Member Hamza Dağ, AK Party İzmir Provincial Chairman Bilal Saygılı, MHP İzmir Provincial Chairman Veysel Şahin and many citizens attended. Citizens commemorated July 15 with Turkish flags in their hands.
The event started with a moment of silence and the singing of the National Anthem; He continued with the recitation of the Holy Quran. Later, Izmir Governor Dr. The flag carried within the scope of the 15 July Democracy and National Unity Day Flag Race of the Ministry of Youth and Sports was delivered to Süleyman Elban. The event continued with the screening of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's address to the public from the Capital National Garden.
'IT WAS ONE OF THE DARKEST JULY NIGHTS IN OUR HISTORY
Speaking in the program, Izmir Governor Dr. Süleyman Elban said, "July 15, 2016 was one of the darkest July nights in our history. Our nation has grown insidiously within itself, with the resources, opportunities, aid, alms, and charity of this nation whose image appears to be true and which we think lives like them, has spread to all institutions of the state, and has increased this nation's tooth and nail with all its resources and brought cannons, cannons, and bullets to its army with tanks, cannons, and F-16s." If this nation sees a strong leadership, as it has in its history, it will consider everything that that will says as an order and will never hesitate to implement it. This nation will sacrifice its lives and any of its assets without hesitation when it comes to its homeland, state, flag and sanctities. That night, darkness turned to light, troubles turned to light, night to morning, with this will and sacrifice. "253 of our brave men were martyred. More than 2 thousand of our heroes who marched to martyrdom and said 'I want to be a martyr too, I want to be honored with that honor' also reached the rank of veteran. We pray to our Lord that we will never face such a great betrayal again."
'May God never let us experience nights like this again'
AK Party MKYK Member Hamza Dağ said, "If I say happy 10th anniversary of July 15, I cannot say it. Something is missing. But I say happy October 29, happy April 23, happy May 19, happy August 30. I say happy Ramadan Feast, happy Eid al-Adha, blessed. On the one hand, yes, the victory is ours. But on the other hand, there is a bitterness. If I say the commemoration ceremony of July 15, Not that either. Yes, we commemorate our martyrs. On the one hand, it is a day where we commemorate our 253 martyrs, and on the other hand, it is a day of victory where we embrace our veterans here as well as those who are not here. Our nation and the state support each other in the squares, with other elements of our state, both in the military, in the civil service, and in the courthouse. "The embrace of the nation and the state in the second half of the night is a victory for those who say 'Stop, brother, we will not give you this opportunity. That's why the will is ours. I pray God never let us experience such nights again," he said.
AK Party Izmir Provincial Chairman Bilal Saygılı said, "We are here today, as the sons of those who wrote history, to protect history. Nations build the future. July 15 is the name of a nation's faith, courage and independence character. They trusted their weapons. The nation trusted its heart. They trusted the terror baron across the ocean. The nation trusted our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. They trusted the darkness. This dear nation trusted God. In the end "The nation won, not the tanks," he said.
Nilgün Kasap, President of the Women's Branch of the Turkish Development and Youth Foundation, who came to Konak Square with her flag, said, "We are on the fields again, as in 2016. We have not left the fields empty for 10 years, and we will not leave them empty. They could not succeed, they will never succeed. We, as Turkish women, as Turkish nation, as Turkish mothers, will always protect our homeland, our flag, our land, like Nene Hatunlar, like Makbule Bacılar in Sheets, like High Heeled Efes." he said.
Muhammed Faris Abdullah, a citizen of Djibouti who attended the event in the field, said, "I was not in Türkiye at the time of the coup. I came to Türkiye in 2021 to study. From what I heard, it was a very bad thing."
In Izmir, on the 10th anniversary of July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day, sela will be recited from all mosques in the city at 00.13.