July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day

On the eighth anniversary of the July 15th treacherous coup attempt, various events were organized at Altınbaş University to raise awareness about the nation's epic and to keep the social memory alive.

The first event was the planting of saplings in the "July 15 Democracy and Martyrs Forest", which was created 7 years ago on behalf of the martyrs with the resources of the University, right after the coup attempt. Altınbaş University Rector Prof. Dr. Çağrı Erhan, academicians and many employees attended the ceremony.

A conference titled "July 15th 'Victory of the Nation' in its 8th Year" was organized at the 100th Year Conference Hall of Gayrettepe Campus.

The conference was moderated by Prof. Dr. Tolga Demiryol, Dean of the Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, and the speakers were Prof. Dr. Eray Güçlüer, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ufuk Adak and Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kenan Özkan.

On July 15, 2016, the treacherous coup attempt and what happened in the process afterwards were discussed at the conference, and the point Türkiye has reached after 8 years was evaluated.

In his speech, Prof. Dr. Eray Güçlüer stated that what happened on the night of July 15, 2016 was the result of a 55-year process and that every point of the state had been quietly infiltrated for many years:

"After the execution of the late Adnan Menderes in 1961, the constitution was amended and new formations emerged beyond the sovereignty of the people. One of these was the Special Warfare Department. It was established in Türkiye by the United States, but no one in the state knew about it. 10 million dollars a year is spent on it. The CIA had deep plans for Türkiye and they tried to implement these plans from 1961 onwards. The plan to infiltrate Türkiye, to establish an alternative organization in Türkiye and take over the country was initiated 55 years ago and continued."

Speaking about what would have happened in Türkiye if the coup attempt had succeeded, Dr. Eray Güçlüer said, "This was not a coup attempt, but a project to Syrianize, Iraqize and dismember the Republic of Türkiye. Their aim was to establish a Vatican-like state in Istanbul, separate it from Anatolia and turn the other regions into small, manageable provinces. They had a much more dastardly and bloody plan, but they failed to realize it. That night, on July 15, the FETO generals on the border lines withdrew their troops from the Syrian and Iraqi borders. They evacuated the borders because the DAESH fighters gathered in Iraq by helicopters would enter Türkiye by US helicopters. The PKK would also enter Türkiye under the pretext of fighting DAESH and the PKK would be heroized. They couldn't do that, but civil war was going to break out in many parts of Türkiye. That scoundrel in the US would have been brought to Türkiye to establish a Vatican in Istanbul and Türkiye would have been divided into 22 provinces. In this way, an order would be established in which there would be no Republic of Türkiye, constantly dependent on the West and America. Our country would not exist and this is what they wanted. But it did not happen; a strong will was put forward, especially by our President. In this case, they could not really take into account the socio-genetic codes of the Turks."

Underlining that the fight against FETÖ is the same as the fight against PKK and DAESH and that the fight must continue until the last person is left, Dr. Güçlüer said, "Yes, the fight against FETÖ may not be at the level we desire, but for 55 years they have patiently and quietly trained, equipped, provided intelligence and financed them at the highest level. They infiltrated into various parts of the state and if it were any other country, it would not have been easy to get rid of this scourge. But we, as a nation, have succeeded in eliminating this scourge. From now on, after seeing the plan that these scoundrels want to carry out, the fight must continue without slowing down until it is completed. Permanent units should be established on the subject. It is not easy, but the PKK and DAESH will not end without ending FETÖ. In other words, if FETÖ does not end, none of them will end. The three are interconnected."

In his speech, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ufuk Adak said that the difference between the coups in Türkiye's history and July 15 should be distinguished and reminded that the most important feature of July 15 was that it was stopped by the will of the people. Assoc. Prof. Adak continued his speech as follows:

"It would actually be wrong to call July 15th a coup or a coup attempt. Because there are many factors that are different from other coups. First of all, FETÖ is an international organization and has been working with international intelligence agencies for many years. As a result of an event we experienced in the digital age, we saw how the public was misled through these organizations. The other important difference is that this coup was stopped by the will of the people. Within 12 hours, thousands of citizens took to the streets. Similarities are always drawn with coups in history, but we have to position July 15th in a different place. We were also very successful in the aftermath of the coup.  There were many arrests and detentions in a very short time. Thousands of people went to prisons. This situation, which is administratively very difficult for state institutions, was also dealt with. In conclusion, when evaluating July 15th, we need to look at it from many different angles. In addition, the struggle should continue until we completely get rid of these elements related to the process; academic studies and research should continue in the same way."

Stating that on July 15, the will of the people emerged through socio-genetic codes, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kenan Özkan stated that the feelings of homeland, nation and independence are extremely high and important for Turks in the mass psychology formed as a result of past experiences. Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kenan Özkan said:

"These concepts are revived in our society, especially in important situations such as July 15th. People have always embraced these expressions in our socio-genetic codes as their own honor. In Turkish political history, the concept of homeland is a concept that entered the political literature with Namik Kemal. Homeland equals honor because the homeland is likened to a mother or a young girl, which is a concept that was also used during the years of the National Struggle and already exists in our national values. This is why on the night of July 15th, people took to the streets and defended their homeland and land in every corner of the country, from Saraçhane Square to Hakkari and Kars.  These behaviors are in our DNA. In addition, we should really position, define, analyze and evaluate July 15th from a very different perspective. Otherwise we may fall into many mistakes. Fighting against a structure and mentality that has been going on for many years can only be possible by embracing deep-rooted traditions. It is with this awareness that our Turkish people, citizens and youth should look at the events and take an attitude accordingly. After all, the farsightedness of Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of the Republic of Türkiye, actually appears here: 'O people, know well that the Republic of Türkiye cannot be a country of sheikhs, dervishes, disciples and members. The truest and most true order is the order of civilization.' The lessons of July 15th are strong intelligence and good technology. There is also a philosophical and intellectual dimension, which is to hold on tightly to reason and science, which is the legacy left to us by Mustafa Kemal, and to know the value and value of the secular, democratic and modern republic."