The Turkish president has called on participants to bring the national flag to show support for a "single motherland." The rally is expected to cap nightly pro-democracy demonstrations in the wake of a failed coup.
Image: Reuters/U. Bektas
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Crowds on Sunday gathered in Istanbul's Yenikapi parade ground for a massive rally that caps nightly demonstrations aimed at showing solidarity with the country's democracy in the wake of a failed coup.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who is expected to be in attendance, urged participants of the "Democracy and Marty's Rally" to bring the Turkish flag instead of party banners.
"There we will stand together as a single nation, a single flag, a single motherland, a single state, a single spirit," he said.
Flyers were distributed overnight, offering free public transport to the event. "The triumph is democracy's, the squares are the people's," the flyer said.
Two of Turkey's three opposition parties were expected to have representatives in attendance. The pro-Kurdish People's Democracy Party (HDP) was, however, not invited.
CHP opposition party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu said the rally would display massive support for ending the legacy of military coups in the Anatolian country.
"The only way to eliminate coups is to revive the founding values of the republic. These values that make our unity should be spoken out loud at Yenikapi," said Kilicdaroglu in a tweet ahead of the rally.
Nearly 15,000 police were deployed to secure the event, which the state-run Anadolu news agency estimates could be attended by millions.
More than 270 people were killed on July 15, when a group in the Turkish armed forces attempted to overthrow Erdogan.
The government responded to the failed coup by suspending, detaining or placing under investigation tens of thousands of people.
Erdogan supporters speak up at night rallies
The night of the failed military coup, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan told his followers to fill the streets - since then, Erdogan has asked them to keep taking to the streets. Diego Cupolo reports from Ankara.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
'Erdogan is our commander'
Every night, they come out in droves to attend Ankara's "Democracy Watch" rallies. Like many here, 32-year-old Zeynip said she would continue showing her solidarity as long as Erdogan asked her to. "Soldiers follow their commander's orders," the mall employee said. "Erdogan is our commander in chief and are we are his soldiers." The photos don't show those who've been interviewed by DW.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Unwavering, but uneasy support
"If we need to, we will take time off from work to attend these rallies," said Saadet, a 31-year-old graduate student. "[Only Erdogan] can rule a volatile country like Turkey." Saadet, as well as others, didn't give her full name because she feared another coup attempt was being plotted and she would eventually be jailed for her comments.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Erdogan hailed for improving health system
When asked why he supported Erdogan, Cemal Kaya, a 21-year-old public management student, said Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP) had improved Turkey's economic and social services. "Before [Erdogan] came, our hospitals were a mess and he worked to renovate and improve them," Kaya said, echoing sentiments widely held in the crowd. "Now our health system is much better."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Protesting as trauma therapy
Kaya, who had been near Ankara's Chief of Staff building when it came under helicopter fire, said attending the rallies was a way to relieve the stress from the night of the coup. "Our people went through a trauma and coming here is a kind of therapy for us to overcome the difficult moments we experienced," he said.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Pushing for a political Islam
Ismail, a 33-year-old civil engineer, said he supports Erdogan because he is bringing Turkey's government closer to the Islamic roots of society. "We don't want a constitution against secularism, but we want one with more space to accommodate Islam," Ismail told DW. "Turkey is the regional leader and our example will help the world embrace Islam."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Perks for Erdogan supporters
Free food, water and transportation is provided for those who attend the rallies, a point Selahattin Demirtas, chair of the pro-Kurdish Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP), criticized on Saturday. "[Erdogan's] supporters are greeted with water and food when they protest the coup… but when our people protest against the military occupation in the southeast, they are greeted with water cannons."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Gulen, Erdogan's enemy of the state
An effigy of Fetullah Gulen hung from a noose, baring a sign reading: "Feto: Your crime is treason to the homeland." Gulen, a Turkish cleric living in exile in the US, has been accused of orchestrating the coup through a network of people who are believed to have infiltrated state institutions. In response, Erdogan initiated a purge to target his followers.
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
Purges continue
So far, 60,000 people have been detained, arrested or sacked from their jobs. People here say they will get a fair trial. Sahin, a 34-year-old shop owner, dismissed international criticism. "Europe says Erdogan is authoritarian because they want to keep suppressing Turkey," he told DW. "Europe is afraid of our society. They know we will be a global power soon and that's why they criticize us."
Image: DW/D. Cupolo
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'Deeply concerned'
Erdogan has come under increased criticism following a mass purge that witnessed some 60,000 government workers suspended or fired in the wake of the failed coup, while thousands of military personnel and dozens of journalists have been detained.
Germany's Die Linke (The Left) party Chairman Bern Riexinger on Sunday told the Funke media group that Ankara had no place in the European Union, accusing Erdogan of orchestrating the coup to consolidate power.
"A government that hunts journalists, redefines justice, throws opposition into prisons and wages war against its own people cannot be included in the EU," said Riexinger.
Christian Lindner, who leads Germany's liberal Free Democrats (FDP), made similar comments to the German daily "Bild."
"We are experiencing a coup d'etat from above like in 1933 after the Reichstag fire. He is building an authoritarian regime tailored solely to himself," Lindner said, referring to the event cited by scholars as a pivotal moment for Adolf Hitler's consolidation of power.
"Because the rights and freedoms of the individual no longer play a role, he cannot be a partner for Europe," he added.
The US State Department in July said it was "deeply concerned" by the mass arrests, especially of journalists and activists.
"We would see this … as a troubling trend in Turkey where official bodies, law enforcement and judicial, are being used to discourage legitimate political discourse," said State Department spokesman John Kirby.
