Under the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and thanks to the honorable resistance of our heroic nation, July 15th Democracy and National Unity Day, in which we achieved a great democracy victory against the Fetullahist Terrorist Organization (FETO) with unprecedented courage in the world, was celebrated with events organized at Uşak University.

During the events held at Uşak University Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Congress and Culture Center, a recitation of the Holy Qur'an for the souls of our martyrs, a photo exhibition on 'July 15', a panel discussion on 'The Victory of the Nation on July 15' moderated by Anadolu Agency (AA) Culture and Arts News Editor Bünyamin Yılmaz and with the participation of Director-Producer Nazif Tunç and Actor Ali Nuri Türkoğlu, and a film screening titled 'Dawn of the Nation' were held.

The event was attended by Uşak Governor Dr. Turan Ergün, Uşak University Rector Prof. Dr. Ekrem Savaş, Hüseyin Çetin, father of Martyr Mehmet Çetin, provincial protocol, representatives of public institutions and NGOs, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. Kenan Taş, Prof. Dr. Lütfi Özav and Prof. Dr. Osman Birgin, deans of faculties, directors of colleges and vocational schools, academicians, administrative staff, students and many guests.

The July 15th Democracy and National Unity Day events, which were organized with the theme of 'Victory of the Nation' this year, started with the distribution of donuts dedicated to the souls of the martyrs. Later, the photo exhibition on “July 15” opened in the Recep Tayyip Erdoğan Congress and Culture Center Foyer area was visited.

In the event, which started with a moment of silence and the reciting of the National Anthem, the recitation of the Holy Qur'an by Mehmet Bilal Tiryakioğlu, lecturer at the Faculty of Islamic Sciences, and the Hatim prayer for our martyrs by Dr. Lecturer Nihat Tosun.

Rector Savaş: ''We will forever protect the cherished memory of our martyrs who defended our independence at the cost of their lives.''

Speaking at the opening of the event commemorating the night of July 15th, when citizens from different political, social and cultural views came together and united for a common purpose, Uşak University Rector Prof. Dr. Ekrem Savaş said: “I commemorate with mercy all our brothers and sisters who fell to the ground while fighting for liberation against the treacherous coup attempt, and I wish health and well-being to all our veterans. As the poet said, ”What makes flags flags is the blood on them. The soil is a homeland if one dies for it”. This nation is grateful to you. It should not be forgotten that we will forever protect the cherished memory of our martyrs who defended our independence at the cost of their lives.

“Rector Savaş: “The struggle of our nation in unity and solidarity that night has once again shown the whole world that the greatest power of the Republic of Turkey is the will of the nation.”

Rector Savaş said, “On the night of July 15, 2016, the treacherous attack on our democracy, national will and independence of our country was eliminated with the heroic resistance of our nation in unity and solidarity. That night, all members of our nation, regardless of political opinion, sect, ethnic origin, became one heart and took to the squares to defend their homeland. This unity and solidarity showed once again to the whole world that the greatest power of the Republic of Turkey is the will of the nation.”

Prof. Dr. Ekrem Savaş emphasized the following points in his speech: “Thanks to the sacrifices of our martyrs and veterans, today we look to the future with confidence as a free and independent country. As Uşak University, keeping their memory alive and passing it on to future generations is one of our duties that we will never forget. On July 15, 2016, the coup against the national will by the treacherous Fetöist terrorists was stopped thanks to the leadership of our President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and the heroic resistance of our nation. That night, our beloved nation showed an example of civil resistance rarely seen in the history of the world and wrote an epic of democracy. As the poet said, “Trench your body, stop this insolent raid”; our honorable nation also trenched its chest and repelled this insolent raid.”

Prof. Dr. Savaş: ''In order to understand July 15th, we need to pass before our eyes the many hardships we have experienced from Çanakkale to Kutü'l Amare, from the War of Independence to the Cyprus landings.''

Rector Savaş; “In order to understand July 15th, we need to go through the many hardships we have experienced from Çanakkale to Kutü'l Amare, from the War of Independence to the Cyprus landings. To understand July 15th, we need to be aware of what the coup plotters would have done to our country if they had succeeded. On this historic day when our people wrote an epic, many heroes emerged. There are two of them whom we will never forget: One is Infantry Sergeant Master Sergeant Ömer Halisdemir and the other is our fellow countryman Mehmet Çetin. Mehmet Çetin from Uşak, a presidential protection police officer who was martyred in the clash in Marmaris during the coup attempt, is a monument of heroism who became a wall against the traitors on July 15th and did not compromise his love for his homeland. Knowing that he would reach martyrdom, he fulfilled his duty at the cost of his life and became a martyr. May the soul of our beloved martyr rest in peace.

“Rector Savaş: “July 15th is not only an act of resistance, but also an indicator of our belief in and commitment to our democracy, and a victory for our nation.”

Prof. Dr. Ekrem Savaş emphasized the importance of democracy by saying “July 15th is not only an act of resistance, but also a demonstration of our belief in and commitment to our democracy” and added: “On this meaningful day, we once again remember how important it is to defend democracy, the rule of law and human rights. It is the duty of all of us to raise generations that are kneaded with national and spiritual feelings, reconciled with universal values, and full of love for homeland and flag. As Uşak University, we are aware of our responsibility to keep the spirit of July 15 alive and carry it into the future. One of our biggest goals is to explain the importance of protecting democracy and national will to our young people and to contribute to their upbringing as conscious and sensitive individuals. In this direction, we will continue our academic studies and social projects with determination.

Prof. Dr. Savaş: ''Dear young people, remember that “The one who loves his homeland the most is the one who does his duty the best.”''

Addressing young people in his speech, Rector Savaş said the following: “Dear young people; you are the future of our country. On July 15th, it is one of your most important duties to remember what happened and not to let it be forgotten, and to protect our democracy. We firmly believe that you will carry our country to a brighter future by acting with this awareness. Remember that “He who loves his homeland the most is the one who does his duty the best.” In line with this principle, we should always strive to achieve the better, the more beautiful and the truer. As long as a nation knows how to be tightly interconnected, there is no power on earth that can disperse it. The glorious July 15th struggle is the latest example of this.”

Rector Savaş: ''We have not forgotten July 15th, we will not forget it, we will not let it be forgotten.''

At the end of his speech, Rector Savaş wished that the unity and solidarity of our nation would be perpetual and said, “We have not forgotten July 15th, we will not forget it, we will not let it be forgotten.”

In his speech, Uşak Governor Dr. Turan Ergün said; “We were among those who experienced the dark night in Ankara that day in the most intense way. This movement, this action, this coup attempt against the existence and independence of the Turkish nation by FETÖ and its supporters will be neither the first nor the last game of those who want to trap this nation. What we need to do is to keep in mind that we should always be vigilant as a nation against such actions by knowing its history and taking lessons from history. With the call of our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, our nation left their homes and took to the streets without thinking about their lives, blood and property. They stood naked in front of the tanks and guns on the streets, with only their fists and the flag with the moon star wrapped around their backs and managed to stop those tanks and cannons. We lost 251 martyrs and thousands of our veterans sacrificed their lives. Uncle Hüseyin, the father of our compatriot from Uşak, the late Mehmet Çetin, who was one of the martyrs that night, is among us now. As a province that lived under occupation for two years during the foundation of the Republic, people of Uşak know what occupation is.  They also know how this land was founded and how it should be protected. Uşak, which did what was necessary to protect these lands at the cost of its life, has been one of the important turning points in winning the national struggle with the heroes it raised during the National Struggle.  Our beloved nation showed another example of heroism to the whole world by succeeding in stopping this treacherous attempt with its blood and life. That is why we say that we must not forget, we must not let them forget. As Mr. President said, even if 80 years pass, it should remain in the minds with the same freshness. Because only in this way can we be awake and stay awake.”

“July 15 is the Victory of the Nation”

Following the opening speeches, Director-Producer Nazif Tunç and Actor Ali Nuri Türkoğlu took part as speakers in the panel moderated by Anadolu Agency (AA) Culture and Arts News Editor Bünyamin Yılmaz.

At the opening of the panel, AA Culture and Arts News Editor Bünyamin Yılmaz stated that as a country, we have to be up and alive at every moment and drew attention to the spirit of struggle shown by our nation on the night of July 15.

Director-Producer Nazif Tunç mentioned the following in his speech: “Anatolian spirit is a trained spirit. Trained from where? It is trained from the Crusader war, national struggle and coups. It is not easy to break through this training. July 15th enabled us to return to our nature and set an example to the world. Today, if a coup is to be staged anywhere in the world, it will not be as easy as before. Because they have the example of Turkey in front of them. We must always be on guard against invaders and collaborators.

''Actor Ali Nuri Türkoğlu, one of the people who resisted against FETÖ's July 15 coup attempt, talked about his experiences on the night of July 15. Underlining the epic resistance of the Turkish nation during the coup attempt, Türkoğlu said, “We did what we had to do as a person of this country that night. The homeland was going, so we took to the streets. Our commander-in-chief showed courage and fulfilled his duty as commander-in-chief. We went out and fought to stop the coups that our grandfathers could not stop. There was no fear in anyone's heart that day. This impressed me a lot.”

The panel ended with the presentation of a plaque of appreciation to Bünyamin Yılmaz, Nazif Tunç and Ali Nuri Türkoğlu by Governor Dr. Ergün and Rector Prof. Dr. Savaş.

Following the panel, a screening of the film 'Şafak Vakti’, supported by the Presidential Communications Directorate, which focuses on what happened in Çengelköy and July 15 Martyrs Bridge during the coup attempt and portrays the heroic struggle of our nation on the big screen, was held.