On Sunday, during the commemoration ceremony for the July 15 coup attempt, Turkey reaffirmed that their fighting spirit is as strong as ever. As President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said during the ceremony on the July 15 Martyrs Bridge, "With God's help, as long as the July 15 spirit is alive in this territory, no power can hold Turkey back from its path."
The July 15 "invasion attempt," which looked like a coup, was staged exactly for this reason – to stall Turkey's progress. However, the spirit of resistance that was unveiled that day showed the whole world that this nation will not surrender its homeland or its leader to anyone.
Our reckoning with the powers that targeted Turkey on July 15 is not over. We can even say it has just begun. Of course, putschist terrorists are standing trial and being sentenced one by one. Every day, a new blow is being dealt to the Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) from which these coup plotters received orders. However, this is not enough. We must also search out the patrons of the putschist terrorists who supported FETÖ and their partners in Turkey. Those struggling to suffocate the July 15 spirit and disgrace the July 15 resistance also need to be dealt with. They have the same purpose as the terrorists who tried to stage the coup: To create an Erdoğan-free Turkey.
The patrons of FETÖ are obvious. As Turkey grows stronger, its capacity for weeding them out rises. It will collect both the terror leader Fetullah Gülen and other terrorists at his disposal. Furthermore, it will target foreign players who are striving to destabilize and divide our country through these terrorists. It will work to unveil not only countries and states, but those involved in clandestine and malevolent relationships in these countries and ensure they stand trial in their own countries.
Yes, that is exactly what it will do – as every big state must do.
As for the domestic partners of the July 15 coup-looking invasion attempt: Who are they? They are those who prepared the ground for the attempt. Since 2013, some people have been trying to create a coup atmosphere in this country.
They have infiltrated almost every area, from the media to the business world and from the bureaucracy to the politics. Sadly, they are still active, some secretly, others overtly.
For the record, we have a litmus test of sorts to distinguish those who struggled to create the grounds for the coup and to legitimize the coup if it had succeeded: The post-2013 argument that "Turkey also aids Daesh." Whoever uttered this argument and slander before July 15 are the elements that this country must weed out. Have they been rightly punished? No. They are still using the same argument in their newspapers, lecterns and squares. They see eye to eye with FETÖ.
Besides, it is time to examine the backstage treachery that was greatly overlooked in the heat of July 15. For instance, we need to investigate the attacks on mosques, imams and muezzins for saying prayers.
Fortunately, the coup failed.
I'm commemorating our July 15 martyrs with gratitude.
This country and its people owe their existence and unity to our martyrs, our veterans and their dear families.
