After the rebellion come the reprisals. Only hours after tanks rolled on to the Bosphorus bridges in an attempt to topple Turkey’s government, president Recep Tayyip Erdogan was hailing the failed coup as a “gift from God”, as it presented an opportunity to “cleanse” the armed forces. By Sunday, thousands of military personnel were under arrest, thousands of judges sacked and calls to bring back the death penalty were trending on Twitter.
There can be no justification for the coup attempt, which recalls some of the worst moments in Turkey’s history. In a night of shocking violence, bombs hit parliament and helicopters fired on civilians. More than 260 people were killed and some 1,500 injured in battles between loyal and rebel factions in the police and security forces, and between soldiers and civilians who came out to oppose them.
While previous coups had some public support, few in Turkey now want the armed forces to interfere with elected governments. Leaders of all political parties were swift to condemn the attempt. Senior generals remained loyal. And when Mr Erdogan called on his supporters to come on to the streets, tens of thousands responded.