The rally was organized by the AKP, the ruling party. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a speech in which he denounced the positions of France and the United States which, according to him, “despise Muslims.
It is a continuous flow which gradually fills the tarmac of the old Atatürk airport. On Saturday October 28, a demonstration was organized in Istanbul, at the initiative of the ruling party, the AKP. Tens of thousands of Turks responded, public transport was free for the occasion.
Many came with their families, there was no slogan, signs were prohibited inside the enclosure. For once, the Turkish flag is in competition with the Palestinian one. Support that extends across the entire Turkish population: conservative Muslims and secularists alike. Ismaël is accompanied by his daughter: “I came to protest against the terrorist State of Israel. I stand with the oppressed people of Palestine.”
“I am ready to go and fight for the Palestinian people. I am ready to be a martyr”
Many women are veiled, in black abayas, their foreheads surrounded by a green ribbon proclaiming the greatness of Allah, others wear a keffiyeh, the Palestinian scarf, on their shoulders. Uzbeks are also there, a large Uighur flag is brandished by a young man.
President Erdogan poses as defender of the Palestinians
“The West’s contempt for Gaza” is much criticized. President Erdogan called on Israel to put “end this madness and spare civilians”. Erdogan even wants to be a guarantor for the Palestinians and pleads for a two-state solution.
If he was moderate, calling on both parties to stop the violence the day after October 7, his speech hardened after the strike against the Gaza hospital, which Turkey blamed on Israel. He does not consider Hamas a terrorist organization and maintains links with what he calls “a liberation movement”. In recent months, Erdogan had begun a rapprochement with the Jewish state but now there is no longer any question of a visit.
“The West is entirely responsible for the massacres in Gaza. Israel is a war criminal who massacres women and children with complete impunity”
Recep Tayyip Erdoganat franceinfo
The Islamist parties that support him are pushing for this radicalization, as is his conservative base. The president also castigates the West which has “notonly contempt for Muslim blood”. The United States is particularly ridiculed, as is the European Union. As a good politician, Recep Tayyip Erdogan knows that he must step up to the plate to maintain the support of his electorate, votes which will be precious during next year’s municipal elections.