Anti-Bulgaria Protest Held in Turkish Capital

ISTANBUL, Turkey — About 150,000 Turks, some of them calling for war, gathered in the capital’s main square Saturday to demand that Bulgaria end its oppression of ethnic Turks, which has led thousands of them to flee that country.

The protest in Taksim Square was organized by the governing Motherland Party and the opposition Social Democratic Populist and True Path parties.

“Send in the army to Sofia,” the crowd, waving hundreds of red and white Turkish banners, roared repeatedly.

“If you’re frightened of 1.5 million (ethnic Turks in Bulgaria), what will you say to 56 million?” read one banner, referring to the entire population of Turkey.

Other banners, hung from surrounding buildings, denounced Bulgaria and its president, Todor Zhivkov, calling him “The New Hitler.”

Political leaders addressing the rally protested the expulsion of ethnic Turks by Bulgaria. The crowd chanted slogans such as “Murderer Zhivkov, army to Sofia!” and “We want guns against Bulgaria!”

The crowd showed how easily the Turkish government could tap mounting popular anger at Bulgaria’s forced assimilation of ethnic Turks. The demonstration was also one of the few protest meetings ever organized by the government and the first of any size in Taksim Square since the 1980-83 military takeover.

Organizers said thousands of ethnic Turks who fled to Turkey from Bulgaria traveled to Istanbul to attend the rally, which was broadcast live on state-run television.

“I’m very happy to be here,” said Zekiye Ademova, 60, who came from a village in northern Bulgaria’s Razgrad province. “We were under so much pressure (that) we just wanted to leave at the first opportunity.”