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DE RUEHIT #0358/01 1201333
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
P 301333Z APR 07
FM AMCONSUL ISTANBUL
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6941
INFO RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE PRIORITY
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RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 6942

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 ISTANBUL 000358 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/SE 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV TU
SUBJECT: HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS IN ISTANBUL MARCH FOR 
SECULARISM 
 
REF: A. ANKARA 0876 
     ¶B. ANKARA 1066 
     ¶C. ANKARA 0944 
 
ISTANBUL 00000358  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶1.  Summary: An unprecedented crowd of around 1 million 
rallied in Istanbul on April 29 in support of Turkey's 
secular  democracy.  The previously planned rally followed a 
strong statement by the Turkish military on April 27, warning 
of threats to the secular republic (refs B, C).  Within the 
diverse group, many participants protested Foreign Minister 
Abdullah Gul's presidential candidacy, believing a president 
with Gul's Islam-oriented pedigree would pose a threat to the 
fundamentals of Ataturk's republic.  Almost as vocal were 
those objecting to military interference in the political 
process to combat the Islamist "threat".  Many called for the 
government's resignation.  Speakers emphasized that 
secularism was fundamental to democracy, warned that military 
intervention was not the answer and called for opposition 
parties to unite.  The protest was peaceful, and there were 
no incidents.  End summary. 
 
------------------------- 
No Sharia, No Coup-d'Etat 
------------------------- 
 
¶2.  Consulate General staff observed the rally -- billed as a 
protest against the ruling Justice and Development Party's 
(AKP) candidate for the presidential election, FM Abdullah 
Gul -- in Istanbul's Caglayan Square on April 29.  The 
demonstration was organized by a number of NGO's led by the 
Ataturk Thought Association as well as some political 
parties, NGO's, unions and chambers.  The rally gained a 
sense of urgency and political relevance from the dispute 
between the AKP-led government and the military that came to 
a head earlier in the weekend (ref B).  Estimates vary from 
700,000 to 3 million but the crowd clearly exceeded the 
estimated 300,000 who gathered in Ankara on April 14 in a 
similar rally (ref A).  Professor Turkan Saylan from the 
organization committee said attendance was much higher than 
expected.  Actual numbers are likely to be closer to the 
municipality's estimate of 1.5 million.  No matter the number 
this is indisputably one of the largest gatherings of its 
kind in Turkey's history. 
 
¶3.  Speeches emphasized secularism's central role in Turkey's 
democratic system, but many also stressed the danger of 
military influence in the political process.   Saylan, who is 
also chairwoman of the Association of Support for 
Contemporary Life, said in her speech that secularism was a 
fundamental and inseparable component of democracy.  "But we 
also know that military interventions are not a solution," 
she added.  Deputy President of the Ataturk Thought 
Association Nur Serter meanwhile, called for the opposition 
to unite against the AKP.  The most common slogans echoed 
those of the earlier Ankara rally: "Turkey is secular and 
will remain secular," "the road to Cankaya is closed to 
sharia," and "government resign." There were no flags or 
signs of any organization or political parties, only a sea of 
 Turkish flags.  In some banners, the Foreign Minister's name 
was spelled "A.B.D.ullah." (Note: "ABD" is the Turkish 
acronym for USA and "AB" is the acronym for the EU.  End 
note.)  Other chants included, "Turkey is split, the imam is 
delighted," "Speaker of Parliament, enemy of Ataturk," and 
"history's work is Ataturk's army." 
 
---------------------- 
Women in the Forefront 
---------------------- 
 
¶4.  The bulk of the protesters were members of Turkey's urban 
middle class -- almost half of them women -- who are 
traditionally not very politically active.  Four speeches 
were made at the protest, and three of the speakers were 
female.  A woman in her fifties told us that she was 
attending a protest for the first time in her life.  "If we 
do not have secularism, we do not have anything," another 
said.  They were shouting slogans asking for the government's 
resignation, but they also agreed that the winner of an early 
election would almost certainly be AKP again.  Very few 
headscarfs were in evidence in the crowd, but a small group 
of elderly ladies wearing traditional headcoverings 
 
ISTANBUL 00000358  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
passionately chanted pro-secular slogans to the obvious 
delight of the more typically Western garbed women around 
them. 
 
¶5.  Comment: The unprecedented turn-out indicates that the 
perceived "danger" of a Gul presidency has alarmed even 
people who have been politically inactive all of their lives. 
The massive crowd gathered to protest the erosion of Turkey's 
secular identity while at the same time recognizing that a 
traditional military coup would have a devastating effect, 
setting back many of Turkey's hard-won reforms.  The Istanbul 
and Ankara rallies also served as calls to the opposition to 
unite against the AKP, something they have not succeeded in 
doing to date.  In the midst of the tense presidential 
election struggle, the protesters' message of support for 
Turkey's secular democratic process came through loud and 
clear.  End comment. 
JONES