Hundreds of Thousands of Erdogan Opponents Demand 'Justice' in Istanbul

Hundreds of thousands of opponents of Recep Tayyip Erdogan gathered in Istanbul on Sunday, calling for the establishment of 'justice' in the country. According to AFP, as Erdogan's opponents have been marching for nearly a month, one of the largest protest gatherings in recent years was displayed on Sunday, July 9. Twenty-five days ago, Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the Republican People's Party, began his march from Ankara to Istanbul with his supporters. The marchers have challenged Erdogan's presidency along the 450-kilometer route with the slogan 'justice.' AFP reported that this is the largest street presence of opponents since the protests in May and June 2013 against Erdogan's government. Opponents of Erdogan are protesting the 'injustices' that have occurred under the state of emergency. Since the failed coup on July 15, 2016, a state of emergency has been in effect in Turkey, during which nearly 50,000 people have been arrested and 100,000 have been dismissed from their jobs. Supporters of the 69-year-old Kilicdaroglu compare him to Gandhi, the leader of India's independence movement. On Sunday, Kilicdaroglu stated, 'No one should think that this is the last demonstration. This is the first step. Everyone should know that July 9 (July 18) is a new step, a new history... a new birth.' While Kilicdaroglu was speaking, demonstrators shouted 'justice.' The protest took place with the presence of 15,000 police forces; however, these forces did not take action to prevent the gathering of opponents in Istanbul. Kilicdaroglu announced that this march was organized for all citizens of Turkey. The leader of the Republican People's Party said, 'We wrote history, we created a legend. It is you who wrote history.' However, the Turkish government has called Kilicdaroglu's march a publicity stunt, and Erdogan has accused him of supporting coup plotters and 'terrorists.' Kilicdaroglu condemned the failed coup and attributed it to Fethullah Gülen, a disgruntled religious figure residing in the U.S. Nevertheless, he has taken very strong positions against the state of emergency. Kilicdaroglu's 450-kilometer march and his supporters came after Enis Berberoğlu, a former journalist and his party colleague, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for allegedly providing classified information to a newspaper. The marchers carried Turkish flags and placards featuring only the word 'justice.' In this context, the leader of the opposition party accused Erdogan of interfering in judicial matters, the Turkish parliament agreed to extend the state of emergency for another three months, new orders were issued for the arrest of 243 Turkish military personnel, the first trial session for the accused in the failed coup took place in Istanbul, and arrests continued in Turkey; the trial of two teachers and the hunger strike of a French photographer were noted. Turkey has arrested over a thousand people on charges of connections to Gülen's group.