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UNCLAS ISTANBUL 002111 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV ASEC CASC TU
SUBJECT: SAADET PARTY PROTESTS POPE'S VISIT 
 
 
This message was coordinated with Embassy Ankara. 
 
¶1.  Summary:  On November 26, the Islamist Saadet (Felicity) 
Party organized a rally in the Sisli district of Istanbul to 
protest the Pope's upcoming visit to Turkey.  Despite claims 
of hundreds of thousands of attendees on the party's website 
press estimates on participation varied from 20,000 to 50,000 
participants.  The party initially hoped to attract a million 
protesters.  Both current Saadet leader Recai Kutan and 
former leader Necmettin Erbakan addressed the rally.  Despite 
some hostile slogans and banners and the burning of both the 
U.S. and the Israeli flags the protest was generally 
peaceful.  Given the possibility for additional protests 
during the Pope's visit to Ankara on November 28, 
Izmir/Ephesus on November 29 and/or Istanbul on November 29 
and 30, the peaceful protest provided a useful dry run for 
Turkish security forces.  End Summary. 
 
¶2.  The November 26th protest was the third largest protest 
organized by the Saadet party this year, drawing a smaller 
crowd than earlier rallies protesting the Israeli action in 
Lebanon and the Danish cartoons.  The November 26th rally was 
covered by the international press as well as local press, 
with Al-Jazeera and Al-Arabiya providing live coverage. 
Turkish newspapers on November 27 noted the rally's smaller 
than expected size, as well as the Pope's statements on 
Sunday at the Vatican, the foreign press attention to the 
visit and the possibility of PM Erdogan holding a meeting 
with the Pope at the airport. 
 
¶3.  In his speech, Saadet Party leader Recai Kutan argued 
that the Pope should not come to Turkey and suggested that 
the Haghia Sofia -- first a Byzantine church, then a mosque 
and now a museum -- should be turned back into a mosque. 
Kutan also claimed that the Pope's remarks in Regensburg, 
Germany were "just more proof that Turkey could not join the 
EU."  In a short speech by video link former Saadet leader 
Necmettin Erbakan claimed that the Pope was coming to Turkey 
to "revive Byzantium by emphasizing the ecumenical nature of 
the Greek Orthodox church." 
 
¶4.  Although the rally was generally peaceful, protesters 
shouted hostile slogans, including "Istanbul Will be the 
Grave for the Pope."  Party organizers attempted to control 
the message and worked with police to confiscate unauthorized 
banners.  Banners, some of which were in English, had to be 
approved in advance by organizers and the police collected 
unauthorized banners as protesters entered the square.  The 
most common slogans were "Say No to the Crusader Alliance" 
and "The Pope Should Not Come".   Some banners included 
pejorative depictions of the Pope and Ecumenical Patriarch as 
entwined snakes referring to another common slogan, "Don't 
Let The Ignorant and Sneaking Pope Come."  A small group 
burned Israeli and American flags, a typical scene at 
Islamist protests in Turkey. 
 
¶5.  The Consul General received an official invitation to the 
rally from Osman Yumokullar, Saadet Party Istanbul Provincial 
Director.  The invitation letter read "We would have welcomed 
the Pope if he hadn't slandered Turkey.  However, he broke 
our hearts when he did not apologize for what he said.  We 
wish to protest his visit.  We will meet and demonstrate with 
the slogan of "Don't Let The Pope Come to Turkey" on November 
26 at 12:00 in Caglayan.  By this movement we will reply to 
his and the Ecumenical Patriarch's slanders and their plan 
for Istanbul.  We'd be honored to see you among us during 
this demonstration."  The Consulate General did not send an 
official observer to the rally. 
 
¶6.  Further demonstrations are expected during the Pope's 
four-day visit to Turkey.  With more than 3,000 journalists 
seeking accreditation, media coverage will be abundant and 
irresistible to those playing to a wider audience.  The 
November 26 protest served as a dry-run, especially for 
Turkish security officials, of the main events, which start 
tomorrow. 
JONES