Even though main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) Chairman Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu has said that last year's failed Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) coup attempt occurred with the government knowing about it beforehand and was therefore a "controlled coup," a recent poll from the pro-CHP Gezici Research Company found that 92.6 percent of those polled believe the coup attempt was real and that FETÖ was behind it. According to two surveys conducted by Gezici Research on Feb. 4-5 and April 7-8 in 28 provinces through face to face interviews, 92.6 percent said that they have no doubt who was behind the July 15 coup attempt. Commenting on the poll, Gezici Director Murat Gezici said the public does not subscribe to Kılıçdaroğlu's "controlled coup" claims.
"On the contrary, the people who advocate [the idea it was a] controlled coup are losing credibility in the public," he said.
The surveys also found that 97.7 percent of participants believe that FETÖ is a terrorist organization and 94.2 percent believe FETÖ was behind the coup attempt. In addition, 88.6 percent expressed their support for the government's fight against FETÖ and 67.5 percent said that the ongoing state of emergency that was declared after the last year's coup attempt should continue.
Meanwhile, Kılıçdaroğlu yesterday spoke to journalists on the 19th day of his justice march from the capital Ankara to Istanbul. Stressing that he wants to live in a peaceful environment, Kılıçdaroğlu addressed the world, saying that he wants justice. "It is our biggest wish that nobody is blamed or criminalized for their beliefs, identity or political views," he said.
The CHP chairman asserted that justice would arrive in Turkey one way or another. "If a price has to be paid, we will pay that price first. We have to struggle altogether for the future of this country and our children," Kılıçdaroğlu said.
Kılıçdaroğlu is expected to reach Istanbul on Sunday when he will stop at the Maltepe Prison. CHP Deputy Enis Berberoğlu has been imprisoned there since he was arrested on charges of espionage. On June 14, Istanbul's 14th Heavy Penal Court ruled to sentence Berberoğlu to 25 years in prison for releasing secret documents with the alleged purpose of political or military espionage. Berberoğlu was arrested in the courthouse after the hearing.
The pro-PKK Peoples' Democratic Party (HDP) also recently announced that it would join the march on the way to Istanbul. HDP Co-Chair Serpil Kemalbay expressed her party's support for the march in late June. "We have been saying that the HDP has supported this march from the day it started. We see similarities between the struggle we have been carrying out and the justice march. You will see in the coming days that we support the justice march in a concrete way," Kemalbay said. The HDP was expected to join the march in the Kandıra district of Kocaeli province yesterday.