Thousands of people hit the streets protesting the attempted military coup in Turkey
REUTERS/Murad Sezer
Turkish citizens began flooding the streets late Friday night and early Saturday morning in response to an attempted military coup.
The Turkish military apparently staged the uprising, deploying military into the streets of Istanbul and Ankara, Turkey's largest city and capital, respectively.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made a statement that aired on CNN Turk over Apple FaceTime, calling on Turkish citizens to "gather in squares, airports."
People responded by gathering in the streets of Istanbul, photos on social media show.
It is not yet clear how many are protesting in favor of Erdogan and how many are in favor of the coup.
Footage emerged of protesters overrunning the military tanks rolling into Istanbul. Soldiers reportedly began opening fire at protesters near Istanbul's Bosporus bridge.
REUTERS/Murad Sezer
REUTERS/Murad Sezer
"Assuming this is a coup, don't underestimate the power of the government to get its supporters into the streets," Michael Koplow, policy director of the Israel Policy Forum and an analyst of Middle Eastern politics, tweeted. "Erdogan has millions of true believers."
View photos and videos from the apparent protests below:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/754090658986598401
Hundreds of noisy protesters, backed by police, gather in support of Turkey govt in AK Party HQ in Diyarbakir pic.twitter.com/n8NIVof3Ae
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/754081938726588416
Turkish protesters taking control of tanks. The police are reportedly arresting pro-coup soldiers. #Turkey #Istanbul pic.twitter.com/r3w7lvgl6L
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/754086612758323201
Nationalists shout "God is great" on the streets of Turkey's capital https://t.co/5u9qsLyjj7 @latimes pic.twitter.com/KXlRnD0VzN
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/754078511342751745
#Turkey: pro-government protesters are dominating Taksim square in #Istanbul, army is greatly outnumbered pic.twitter.com/DApK72SuQB
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/754084041377378305
Coup plotters declare curfew yet people flock to streets. Military does not appear to have control #TurkeyCoup pic.twitter.com/cPEcYx4oeN
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/754084152241074176
Rayat #Turkey berusaha yakinkan tentara bawahan bhw tindakan mereka salah. pic.twitter.com/AQQDp4T28O
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/754081123630710785
UNBELIEVABLE CRAZY FOOTAGE #Video #Turkey army tanks run over cars in middle of the roads in Istanbul..!!!! pic.twitter.com/80lMbgriJi
http://instagram.com/p/BH5nG6CBcyb/embed/
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