Turkey, wow.

[topum]

Everyone is clued to their TVs here trying to understand what is going in Turkey. Romanian TV reports that a coup is going on there.

BBC started getting more details (still nothing on CNN):

Turkey's PM has denounced an "illegal action" by a military "group", with bridges closed in Istanbul and aircraft flying low over the capital, Ankara.

Binali Yildirim said the military action was not authorised but it was not a coup. He said that the government remained in charge.

Traffic has been stopped from crossing both the Bosphorus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet bridges in Istanbul.
There are also reports of gunshots in the capital Ankara.

Mr Yildirim told NTV television by telephone: "We are working on the possibility of an attempt. We will not allow this attempt." He did not elaborate.

"Those who are in this illegal act will pay the highest price," he added, saying it would not be correct to describe the move as a "coup".

Wow.

Comments

[slobberpuppy.livejournal.com]

Hmmmm... Shit be going down...

[(Anonymous)]

Oh yeah, this is no Syria or Egypt, this is a NATO member with a real army.

[topum.livejournal.com]

That's me above. Responded before I logged in.

[slobberpuppy.livejournal.com]

The world is experiencing some serious upheaval these days...

[gneu.livejournal.com]

Is that you in the icon?

[topum.livejournal.com]

I dont think it is. I have quite a bit more hair.

[eyelid.livejournal.com]

They don't want to say "coup" because a coup is SUCCESSFUL.

It's clearly an attempted coup- whether an actual coup remains to be seen

[(Anonymous)]

Yeah, makes sense.

[topum.livejournal.com]

That's me above. Forgot to log in before responding.

[found-world.livejournal.com]

There's a wall-mounted TV at work people like leaving turned on to the news, silent, and I see over here news about Turkey, also. I should add that it is on CNN, although they went back to France.

[topum.livejournal.com]

I think now everyone is reporting on it.

[found-world.livejournal.com]

Yeah, a friend in Finland sent me a message a few minutes ago remarking on it.

[(Anonymous)]

Russia does real time detailed updates, people here are following that. They say Russian Black Sea forces are on high alert, fighter jets in the air.

[mallorys-camera.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I'm riveted to the news here though I can't imagine that US media outlets are telling the whole story. True, the military is more secular than Erdogan but it runs on cheap ISIS oil, no?

[topum.livejournal.com]

Yes, their message at the moment seems to be that what they are doing is necessary to restore secular democracy in the country, which has been almost destroyed by Erdogan. I have never been clear on who runs on ISIS oil in Turkey.

[bluemeanybeany.livejournal.com]

if you want a decent english language live feed, the BBC one correlates sources from a variety of areas and is usually a good way to follow a running timeline
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/live/world-europe-36811357

[topum.livejournal.com]

Yeah, BBC has a good feed on this.

[topum.livejournal.com]

This is surreal. Erdogan talks to the nation and the world on Skype via a TV reporter's smartphone.

[topum.livejournal.com]

Erdogan called people to take the streets. Oh man, this is bad.

[found-world.livejournal.com]

Found this https://tech.slashdot.org/story/16/07/15/2111224/facebook-twitter-and-youtube-blocked-in-turkey-during-reported-coup-attempt

[topum.livejournal.com]

Thank you. BBC has a good live feed.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

Wow is the word. What on earth next...?

[topum.livejournal.com]

If Turkey spins out of control and into prolonged violence then I don't know.

People here are already joking that MI8 is behind this. They needed to remove Erdogan after Johnson became foreign secretary because of Johnson's history with Erdogan.

[bluemeanybeany.livejournal.com]

there is a [possibly untrue] rumour of the pub rumour type that Erodgan is currently in the air fleeing here to London after being turned down for asylum by Germany. But that is London-gossip and may not be true.

[topum.livejournal.com]

Yes, aparently this came from some US news channel.

[topum.livejournal.com]

It was NBC. If true, he gave up fast.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I know. But Turkey has had coups before. Really hoping that they know how to do it neatly.

Boris? Sounds like a James Bond plot, only too silly!

[topum.livejournal.com]

Oh my, 17 policemen dead already.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

And the shootings on the Bosphorus Bridge :-(

[beautesauvage13.livejournal.com]

I'm just over here waiting for Zeus to unleash the lightening bolts. 

Or God to reign down the fire and brimstone.   Either or.  Which ever works. 

Athena

[topum.livejournal.com]

Looks like it is happening. At least on Turkey.

[beautesauvage13.livejournal.com]

Yes it appears that way that's for sure. 

Athena

[diejacobsleiter.livejournal.com]

Depends on who are these people. If they are islamists, that would be a disaster. If the contrary, that may be for the best. But these calls to go to streets - I wouldn't be so afraid. Nobody will go to fight for Erdogan...

[diejacobsleiter.livejournal.com]

I was wrong
https://twitter.com/anadoluagency/status/754082344341016576

[topum.livejournal.com]

I have been trying to respond but i get logged out every minute. Yes some of his suporters took to the streets.

The military say they do this to restore secular democracy destroyed by erdogan.

[diejacobsleiter.livejournal.com]

Traditionally, military in Turkey were secularly oriented. But the world's changing, so who knows what game they are playing now. First statements have no other purpose than to calm US and NATO down. US forces are there, you know...

[topum.livejournal.com]

Yes, but not to an extent where Islamists would be claiming that they are after restoring secular democracy.

[diejacobsleiter.livejournal.com]

Let's hope so. But I wouldn't believe in their hot democratic feelings too much. Some of "Arab spring" coups began under accompaniment of democratic rhetorics but then turned islamist. The brightest examples: 1st Egyptian revolution against pres. Mubarak and later - this Syrian revolution against pres. Assad. In egyptian case, US were happy and stopped supporting the legal powers, in Syria, they even began to support rebellions. I love US, but their international affairs are stupid and violent, so people try not to confront them...

[topum.livejournal.com]

It seems to be over anyway.

[diejacobsleiter.livejournal.com]

With such amount of Erdogan supporters, I'd prefer to see the end of it ASAP. Otherwise it will turn bloody.

[bunn.livejournal.com]

I saw people last night saying that wasn't Turkey? I saw lots of people saying it was Morocco in 2015.

It was shared as Turkey last night but they started sharing it almost at the same moment as Erdogan's appeal, which I think might have been before there were many people on the streets?

At any rate there are plenty of real 2016 Turkey crowd photos available now!

[topum.livejournal.com]

I think you are right, that wasn't Turkey.

[diejacobsleiter.livejournal.com]

Oh, thank you. One never knows in what sort of media shit one steps next moment. The next day after Nice, I saw the foto of the Eifel tower in fire...

[beautesauvage13.livejournal.com]

As for news..I found this from the CBC.  Canadian news site

http://www.cbc.ca/beta/news/world/ankara-turkey-coup-attempt-1.3681669

So the news finally made it across the oceans. 

[topum.livejournal.com]

Yes, it is the top story pretty much everywhere by now.