Speaking at a conference of Islamic schools in the northwestern Turkish city of Kocaeli on Saturday, Erdogan described those involved as “opportunists,” added that an investigation was underway, and vowed to purge “the shameless few responsible.”
“Whoever they are, they cannot be part of our army,” he said.
Erdogan attended the graduation ceremony of the Turkish Military Academy in Ankara on August 30.
The first-place student in the class, Ebru Eroglu, led the class of 960 graduates in reciting the official military oath to defend Turkey.
But video footage taken about an hour later showed about 400 graduates gathering in a field, brandishing swords and chanting “We are soldiers of Mustafa Kemal,” a reference to the founder of modern secular Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
A student then led the group in taking the officers’ oath, in which they pledge to defend a “secular and democratic Turkey,” an oath that was banned from the academy in 2022.
Some pro-government commentators have harshly criticised the graduates’ action, suggesting it could pose a challenge to Erdogan’s government, while others have hailed it as a sign that the Turkish military will remain secular regardless of the ruling party.
Later, Erdogan’s ally, Nationalist Movement Party leader Devlet Bahceli, called for an investigation, and on Thursday the Turkish Defense Ministry confirmed that an investigation had begun.
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