Ankara square venue for anti-coup rally for solidarity with Egypt

ANKARA

AA Photo

Several civil society organizations have called on all those opposed to the coup to join a mass a rally in protest against the ongoing oppression in Egypt in the aftermath of a military coup that toppled President Mohamed Morsi last month.

“I wish it to be the greatest rally which we have held in recent history. As the four organizations here, we are here only as the convener organizations. But I wish for our entire people, everybody who is in favor of democracy, human rights and freedoms; who is against coups; and who wants a civilian and democratic Turkey, to be at the rally,” Mahmut Arslan, the president of the Confederation of Righteous Trade Unions (Hak-İş), said at a joint press conference on Aug. 23 along with the chairs of the Confederation of Public Servants Trade Unions (Memur-Sen), the Association for Human Rights and Solidarity for Oppressed People (Mazlum-Der) and the Anatolia Youth Association.

The conference was apparently aimed at forming a strong anti-coup alliance through a rally called “Resistance for Egypt, Revival for Humanity Rally,” which was set to be held at Sıhhiye Square of Ankara at 4 p.m. on Aug. 24.

“We have an additional responsibility as a Muslim; we have ummah responsibility,” Memur-Sen’s Chair Ahmet Gündoğdu said, noting that the countries which are accepted as the cradle of democracy have failed the test over Egypt.

The participants of the rally will also denounce tyrants, as they pray for the oppressed, Gündoğdu said.