Police officer mistakes mourner standing to commemorate Atatürk as protester

Police officer mistakes mourner standing to commemorate Atatürk as protester

ISTANBUL

People stand for one minute of silence in remembrance of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk at 09:05 am on Nov. 10. AA Photo

A police officer reported a “demonstration” on a main road in Istanbul's Esenyurt district after assuming that a man standing outside his car for the one minute of silence in commemoration of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk’s death was staging a protest.

The officer notified the police station about a “protest” at 09:05 a.m., the time when the founder of the Republic of Turkey, Atatürk, died 76 years ago. Every Nov. 10, a siren is played across the country to mark Atatürk's time of death, as citizens stand in one minute of silence.

“Someone standing in the road is staging a protest,” the officer said over the police radio.

The police station, however, corrected him, saying it was a move that complies with the meaning and importance of the day.