Reaction against coup plot unlikely to cease soon

The 70 Million Steps Against Coups coalition’s demonstration on İstiklal Street is expected to bring together thousands of people who will call on judicial bodies to punish coup instigators. Tansel Parlak, a member of the coalition, stated that they will stage a demonstration to raise their voices against the latest coup plan, called the Sledgehammer Security Operation Plan, subversive documents kept secret from the public in “cosmic rooms” and all attempts by the military to take control of the country’s administration.

“The demonstration will attract a huge crowd. We will show our reaction against racist approaches that see minorities as enemies, coup attempts, military memorandums, party closures and instigators of military takeovers,” Parlak noted.

The Sledgehammer coup plan -- a nearly 5,000-page document -- was reportedly approved at a military meeting in 2003 attended by 162 active members of the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), including 29 generals. According to the plan, the military was to systematically foment chaos in society through violent acts that would lead to a military takeover.

Speaking to Today’s Zaman, Rights and Freedoms Party (HAK-PAR) Chairman Bayram Bozyel stated that it was even more dangerous to live under the threat of a military coup than to live under the coup itself.

Bayram Bozyel

“The Sledgehammer plan outshines all previous coups and coup plots in terms of content and objectives. It aimed to bomb mosques, crash a Turkish jet and gather hundreds of thousands of intellectuals in concentration camps. The plan shows that coup plotters are ready to shed as much as blood possible to reach their devious objectives. What lies behind such a plan is the political and cultural militarist regime of the Sept. 12 [1980] coup,” Bozyel stated. The HAK-PAR chairman pointed to the abolishment of the Sept. 12 Constitution and the preparation of a more civilian and modern constitution to eliminate the threat of another coup d’état.

In the meantime, İstanbul Deputy Chief Prosecutor Turan Çolakkadı announced that his office was investigating the news reports on the coup plan.

Joost Lagendijk, the former co-chairman of the EU-Turkey Joint Parliamentary Committee, said he was “shocked” when he read news reports on the Sledgehammer plan. “I was shocked to learn that generals prepared a coup plan in 2003 and hoped to overthrow the government and kill people,” he stated.

Lagendijk also expressed dissatisfaction over a statement by the General Staff about the apparent coup plan. The General Staff claimed on Thursday that the plan was part of a series of “scenarios” drafted by the armed forces against a possible external threat. The statement, however, left dozens of questions unanswered as to the content of the document.

Beyazıt locals highly disturbed by coup plan

The residents of İstanbul’s Beyazıt area are disturbed to see the name of their neighborhood and local mosque in a coup plan. The Sledgehammer plan suggested that a bomb would be placed in the courtyard of the Beyazıt Mosque by a team of gendarmerie officers. The bomb would be detonated around 10 minutes before the call to Friday prayer. Provocateurs would arrive on scene after the blast, urging the frustrated crowd to hold violent rallies across the city. The desired result of these rallies would be an increase in domestic pressure on the AK Party government over their failure to ensure the security of people attending prayers at mosques.

Adil Sarmusak, head of the Association to Protect Beyazıt Mosque, complained that mosque visitors are negatively influenced by such devious plans. “The number of mosque visitors has decreased due to increased police control at the mosque entrance. A Molotov cocktail was thrown at the mosque door and unidentified assailants planted bombs in garbage cans around the mosque in the past,” Sarmusak recalled.

A shop owner in the Beyazıt neighborhood, İbrahim Manav, said a bomb attack at the Beyazıt mosque would come as an assault on Turkey’s history.

Sibel Eraslan, a columnist for the conservative Vakit daily, complained about a lack of balance of power in Turkey. Eraslan’s name is included in the Sledgehammer plan among a list of journalists who would be arrested after the coup.

“As journalists, we are working to reflect public opinion. Such a plan would mean silencing the public, not a newspaper or journalists. The plan shows that they are both afraid of and angry with the public,” she noted.