Turkish president addresses rally to mark anniversary of failed coup

Turkey’s president has addressed tens of thousands of people at a ceremony marking the first anniversary of the country’s crushed military coup.

In the address, Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to “rip the heads off” of terror groups and of the coup-plotters who tried to end his more than a decade-long rule.

Accompanied by his family and the families of the victims of the coup, Mr Erdogan joined a massive, flag-waving crowd near the iconic July 15 Martyrs’ Bridge in Istanbul to remember 250 people who died on July 15 2016 resisting the coup.

He inaugurated a hollow, globe-shaped monument featuring the names of the victims near the foot of the bridge, before flying to Ankara to attend a special session in parliament at the exact moment it was bombed a year ago. He also opened a second memorial opposite the grounds of his palace in Ankara.

“Exactly a year ago today, around this hour, a treacherous attempt took place,” Mr Erdogan told tens of thousands of people in Istanbul who converged at the bridge following a “national unity march”.

“The July 15 coup attempt is not the first attack against our country, and it won’t be the last,” he said, referring to a series of terror attacks that also hit the country. “For that reason, we’ll first rip the heads off of these traitors.”

The bridge was the scene of clashes between civilians and soldiers in tanks. At least 30 people died there and more than 2,000 were injured across Turkey in the struggle. Thirty-five coup plotters were also killed.

Photographs of the 250 “martyrs” were displayed on monitors and their names announced. Mr Erdogan paid tribute to the victims saying they fought with their “bare hands” and “their faith” against the heavily armed coup-plotters.

Mr Erdogan also told the crowd that he wants hundreds of people who are on trial for plotting last year’s failed coup to appear in court wearing the same type of outfit – similar to those that were worn by detainees at Guantanamo Bay. He also reiterated that he would approve a bill reinstating the death penalty if parliament proposed it.

Turkey blames US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen for orchestrating the coup and infiltrating state institutions. Mr Gulen denies the allegations.

In the aftermath of the coup attempt, Turkey declared a state of emergency that has been in place ever since, which has allowed the government to rule by decree and to dismiss tens of thousands of people from their jobs. More than 50,000 people have also been arrested for alleged links to Mr Gulen and other groups.

Addressing thousands of people outside of the parliament’s building, Mr Erdogan said the country’s highest security advisory body would on Monday consider further extending the state of emergency. He said the failed coup had allowed Turkey to distinguish its friends from its foes but would not name the countries saying he wanted to avoid “a serious international crisis”.

In the latest government decree published on Friday evening, 7,395 more state employees were fired, including teachers, academics, military and police officers, bringing the number of dismissed to more than 110,000.

Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg paid homage to those who lost lives resisting the coup and said attempts to undermine democracy in any one of the allied nations was “unacceptable”.