Several million Turks have gathered in Istanbul on Sunday in protest against last month’s coup attempt, according to police and organizers.
The mass rally was called by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and is seen as a show of strength for the leader, who has been criticized by the West for a sweeping crackdown on dissent after the failed takeover.
Banners read “You are a gift from God, Erdogan” or “Order us to die and we will do it,” and many demonstrators came wrapped in the red Turkish flag.
Almost five million people join historic 'Democracy and Martyrs' Rally' in Istanbul, according to police pic.twitter.com/d5AaPmOr16— ANADOLU AGENCY (ENG) (@anadoluagency) August 7, 2016
Erdogan once again said he would support any move by the parliament to reinstate the death penalty following the failed coup.
“The sovereignty stays unconditionally with the nation… If the people want that (death penalty), in my opinion, political parties should follow the will of the people.”
Turkey's Erdogan says would approve death penalty if parliament votes https://t.co/h3MqjRghDN pic.twitter.com/PyZWT7DOdR— Reuters World (@ReutersWorld) August 7, 2016
Erdogan also criticized a German court ruling barring him from addressing a similar rally in Cologne via video link last weekend.
Speaking to the crowd, he said: “That’s Germany… I wanted to connect to the meeting via videoconference. They didn’t allow me to, they decided against it: where is democracy?”
Turkey summons German diplomat over ban on Erdogan speech at Cologne rally – senior source https://t.co/yTo0sbQq10— Dan Williams (@DanWilliams) August 1, 2016
Sunday’s so-called Democracy and Martyrs’ Rally” caps three weeks of nightly demonstrations by his supporters.
Two of Turkey’s main opposition parties attended the rally and even got to address the crowd before Erdogan, but the pro-Kurdish HDP party was not invited.
United we stand!
4 million people pro-democracy rally in Istanbul (& >100K in #Gaziantep) - the largest in Europe pic.twitter.com/h0Ib5KIhhn— Mehmet Simsek (memetsimsek) August 7, 2016
Drone Footage from the currently ongoing mass Turkish rally in #Istanbul
~ 3 Million Turks, from over 81 citiespic.twitter.com/eWhk4ih4em— ۞Tawfiq⚔Alkeilani۞ (@ShamiRebel) August 7, 2016
