Turks in Austria celebrate the resistance to Putsch 2016

Turks in Austria celebrate the resistance to Putsch 2016

Wien, Österreich - On July 11, 2025, Turkish fellow citizens in Austria commemorate the failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15 and 16, 2016. At an official event, organized by the Turkish embassy, the "heroic historical resistance" of the Turkish people to defend democratic values was given special attention. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was emphasized in his statements as "Democracy Democracy", with his term of office, which began as Prime Minister from 2003 to 2014 and as President since 2014.

The event in Vienna took place against the background of a surprising personnel change in the Ministry of Communication. Communication chief driving Altun was discontinued by presidential decree, with his planned video message being deleted during the event. Altun's communication directorate was accused of suppressing independent media, which contributes to a tense climate in political communication.

The coup attempt from 2016

The attempted coup, which took place on the night of July 15 to July 16, 2016, aimed to overthrow the government of President Erdoğan and Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım. During the events there were serious attacks in Ankara and Istanbul, in which putschists attacked the parliament and police facilities. The civilian population bravely stood in the way of tanks, which contributed significantly to the suppression of the coup. The resistance cost more than 250 people, and around 2,000 were injured.

The public prosecutor estimated that around 8,000 soldiers were involved in the coup, which led to a significant decline in trust into the military. Fethullah Gülen is accused of being behind the coup attempt, while Erdoğan and his government take extensive measures against alleged Gülen supporters. These measures led to massive arrests, including 77,000 arrests in the two years of the subsequent state of emergency.

a day of memory and reflection

July 15th was declared a national day of commemoration and is now known as the "Day of Democracy and National Unity". This day is also used to commemorate the victim of the coup attempt. The newly appointed ambassador in Austria, Ozan Dönmez, said in his speech that "teaching" must be drawn from the events of 2016 and that it is important to defend national values.

experts, such as the university professor Burak Günes, also discuss the role of communication and media in society, which are viewed as central topics during the discussion about the attempted coup. The former ambassador in Austria, Michael Wölfer, also recalled the intimidation of the Turkish population during the coup and found that the EU always stood on the side of democracy.

Current celebrations for the "Day of Democracy" in Turkey are overshadowed by the latest political developments, including the detention of the Mayor of Istanbul Ekrem Imamoglu and the arrests of other local politicians of the opposition.