Hundreds of thousands of flag-waving supporters gathered in Istanbul on Sunday for a giant rally to mark the end of nightly demonstrations since Turkey’s July 15 abortive coup that left more than 270 people dead.
The gathering at the Yenikapi meeting area by the Marmara Sea waterfront in Istanbul’s European side, officially called the “Democracy and Martyrs’ Rally,” aims to represent Turkish unity and was billed as a cross-party event.
Religious leaders and two of Turkey’s three opposition parties were attending. The pro-Kurdish People’s Democracy Party, or HDP, was not invited.