More than a million people filled the streets of Istanbul in late April 2007 in one of the largest demonstrations in Türkiye's recent memory. Roughly 600 civil society organizations organized the event primarily to protest the governing Justice and Development Party (AKP), which traces its roots to political Islam, and its presidential candidate, Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.
The rally's mood shifted after the military issued a surprise communique Friday night accusing the government of failing to protect secularism. Many in the crowd refused any link to that intervention: one banner read, 'Neither sharia, nor coup d'etat,' and speakers from the podium explicitly declined to endorse the military's position. NGO head Turkan Saylan argued that Türkiye's history showed coups resolve nothing.
Political analyst Oral Calislar, who served seven years in prison following military takeovers in 1971 and 1980, called the turnout a historic sign of democratic maturity: Turkish society, long known for passivity, had mobilized to say it rejected both threats to secularism and military interference in politics.
The Turkish armed forces have toppled four governments in under 50 years, most recently in 1997, and retain broad public standing as guardians of the secular republic founded by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk. Pro-EU reforms have trimmed their formal authority, though the institution remains a significant political force.
Historical summary. TurkishPress restated this wire report, first published in April 2007, in its own words.