Speaking to the Turkish Daily News, Professor Filiz Meriçli, deputy chairman of the Association in Support of Contemporary Life (ÇYDD), one of the organizers of the civilian initiative, blamed hot weather and sabotage for lower participation than expected.

  “One of the reasons for the low turnout was the excessively hot weather. Officials from the Meteorology Directorate warned citizens not to go out in the hot weather and many people who were supposed to participate in the demonstration were unable to do so for health reasons,” she said.

  Meriçli also argued that some circles were uneasy with the positive atmosphere created by the republican rallies throughout the country aimed at protecting the republic and its fundamental values and therefore disseminated negative propaganda in regard to the weekend demos.

  “Some of the citizens who wanted to join the anti-terror protest called us to check whether the event was postponed and we replied that it was not. I believe some others who were unable to reach us were misguided and deceived by the rumors,” she added.

  Only 100 people participated in the “Silent March” at Istanbul's Çağlayan Square, which had filled up with thousands of people at the republican rally in April, reported daily Radikal. Similar civilian marches were staged in Bursa, Manisa, Muğla, Antalya, Kırklareli, İzmir, Gaziantep, Trabzon and Uşak.

  The demonstration in Istanbul started two hours later than scheduled in the hope that more crowds would pour in but that expectation did not materialize, Radikal stated. Daily Star, citing police records, reported that 1,500 people took part in the Istanbul protest. 

  Meriçli said an estimated 2,000 people joined the silent march, which she said was a sufficient number to fill Çağlayan Square. “But what's important is the demonstrations were held and we believe that ‘peace at home, peace in the world' messages delivered at the demos were well-received,” she stressed.  

  The demonstrations followed the General Staff's call earlier this month for a collective reaction against terrorism in the face of escalating attacks in the country by the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK). Asked whether the weekend demos had any links with the military's call, Meriçli said it would be very unfair to say that civil society acted upon instructions from the military.

  “This was entirely a civilian initiative and making such erroneous assessments harms not only nongovernmental organizations but also the military,” she said.