While there were rumors on social media that security forces were at the ready on worries about another coup attempt, a US military spokesman at the base said they had not seen an increased Turkish police presence. Turkey’s Western allies condemned the attempted coup, but have been rattled by the scale of the resulting crackdown.
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Erdogan has also strongly criticized U.S. military officials for comments he said implied that the detention of Turkish military officers as part of the coup investigation could affect the country’s fight against the Islamic State group.
Organizers played the Turkish and German national anthems and held a minute of silence for the victims of the coup as Sunday’s rally got underway. The slogan of the demonstration was “Yes to democracy. No to the coup”.
Police said shortly before it began that some 10,000 people had arrived at the riverside site, across the Rhine from downtown Cologne.
So far, more than 60,000 people in the military, judiciary, civil service, academia, media and other sectors have been either detained, suspended or placed under investigation over suspected links with a USA -based cleric Turkey accuses of orchestrating the failed putsch.
Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdogan gives a speech commemorating those killed and wounded during a failed July 15 military coup, in Ankara, Turkey, late Friday, July 29, 2016.
The dismissed reportedly suspected of having links with US-based opposition cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom Ankara blames for the recent botched coup in the country. On Sunday, Turkey’s soccer federation said every member of its committees had tendered their resignations “for the well-being of the ongoing security investigation”.
The Turkish president’s spokesman is criticizing what he says is a German ban on an appearance by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in a live broadcast at an anti-coup rally in Germany.
German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier on Saturday warned in an interview with Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily: “It is not right to bring Turkey’s domestic political tensions here… and intimidate people who have other political convictions”.
As many as 30,000 participants are expected to attend.
Thousands of supporters of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan are expected to demonstrate in the German city of Cologne on Sunday amid heavy police presence.
In a bid to head-off any potential violence between the different camps, 2,700 officers – including several Turkish speakers – have been deployed to keep the peace, while eight water cannon were also standing by on the streets.
The drama has spilled over into Germany, home to three million ethnic Turks – the biggest Turkish diaspora in the world.
A new presidential decree has introduced sweeping reforms to Turkey’s military in the wake of the failed coup in the country.
It further consolidates government power over the military, with both the president and prime minister now able to give orders to the commanders of the army, navy, and air force. They will be replaced by a new university called the “National Defense University”, under the control of the Defense Ministry.
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The dismissals were the latest in a series of purges related to the July 15 coup attempt in Turkey.
