Graduates of the Turkish Military Academy caused a stir while celebrating their graduation on August 30 by chanting the slogan, “We are Mustafa Kemal’s soldiers,” a reference to the secularist founder of modern Turkey, Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, local media reported.
The incident took place in the presence of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and quickly became a flashpoint in the country’s ongoing political and cultural tensions.
The slogan, chanted by the newly commissioned lieutenants after the official ceremony had concluded, was captured on video and widely circulated on social media. The footage drew mixed reactions, with some praising the cadets for honoring Turkey’s founding principles, while others criticized the act as inappropriate for members of the military, sparking a heated political debate.
Pro-government figures were quick to denounce the slogan. Mustafa Varank, a member of parliament from Erdoğan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), accused the cadets of reviving “old coup-era sentiments” and claimed that such acts threatened to undermine the professionalism and discipline of the military.
Turkey saw violent coups in 1960 and 1980, but under Erdoğan, who survived an abortive putsch in 2016, the political strength of the military has been drastically curtailed.
“The military is bound by rules and discipline, and no one in uniform has the right to engage in political slogans,” Varank said on social media. He also alleged that the opposition was attempting to use the military for its political aims, a charge strongly denied by critics of the government.
The opposition, particularly the Republican People’s Party (CHP), responded with outrage to the backlash. CHP leader Özgür Özel defended the cadets, arguing that their chant was a patriotic expression of loyalty to the republic and its secular foundations. “What else should they say? ‘We are the soldiers of Trikopis’?” Özel retorted, referring to the Greek general defeated by Atatürk during the Turkish War of Independence.
The controversy escalated into a war of words between AKP and CHP members, with accusations flying on both sides. Varank accused the CHP of harboring “authoritarian ambitions” and longing for the military’s return to politics, while CHP members criticized the AKP for trying to erase Turkey’s secularist heritage.
Political commentator Mümtaz’er Türköne likened the cadets’ actions to those of the Janissaries, the elite Ottoman troops who often rebelled against the state. Türköne suggested that the incident evoked memories of the period leading up to the 1960 military coup, a deeply polarizing moment in Turkish history.
The incident at the graduation ceremony reflects the deep divisions within Turkey over its identity and future direction. President Erdoğan, who has positioned himself as a defender of conservative and religious values, has often clashed with secularists who see him as a threat to the principles established by Atatürk.
Reports emerged that an internal investigation had been launched into the cadets’ actions, focusing not only on the graduation day events but also on related social media activity. The investigation might result in disciplinary actions against the cadets involved.