July 15 Coup Attempt Erol Olçok

Erol Olçok

Erol Olçok, who had worked with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan since 1993 and had a large role in AK Party advertisements, promotions and campaigns since its foundation, joined the resistance with his 16 year old son on the Bosporus Bridge in Altunizade where the attacks were intense during the traitorous coup attempt. Olçok and his son were martyred while trying to convince soldiers to give up.

A life full of success from Çorum to Istanbul

Olçok, who was Circassian, was born in in the village of Mecideyekavak in Çorum on March 5, 1962. After finishing elementary school in the village he studied at a Quran course in Çorum for two years. He then continued his education at the Çorum imam hatip high school. He came to Istanbul for the first time to study at Istanbul University in 1982. He graduated from the university’s Aesthetics and Art History Department in 1986. He founded Slayt Reklam in 1987, Rekpa Reklam in 1988, and Ajans E in 1989.

He managed his first election campaign for the March 27, 1994 local elections. He then started working as a press consultant at Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s Istanbul Ulaşım. In January 1995, he became the press consultant for Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. He married his wife Nihal in 1998 and had his first son, Abdullah Tayyip, in 1999.

He founded Arter advertisement agency in 1998. Olçok, who had worked with Erdoğan since his time as Istanbul provincial head in 1993, came up with and designed the AK Party’s name and logo, created slogans and carried out organizational identity work of the party. He managed the AK Party general election campaign for the Nov. 3, 2002 elections.

The Bosporus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridges on the night of July 15
13 PHOTOGRAPH
Civilians stopped a bus full of soldiers right before entering the bridge.

Civilians stopped a bus full of soldiers right before entering the bridge.

A group of soldiers blocking passage to the European side since the early hours of the evening opened fire on unarmed citizens who were marching to the bridges to resist to the coup attempt.

A group of soldiers blocking passage to the European side since the early hours of the evening opened fire on unarmed citizens who were marching to the bridges to resist to the coup attempt.

People flocked to the bridges being occupied by soldiers on President Erdoğan’s call.

People flocked to the bridges being occupied by soldiers on President Erdoğan’s call.

13	Both bridges were opened to traffic after police removed the tanks on the Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Bosporus Bridges.

13 Both bridges were opened to traffic after police removed the tanks on the Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Bosporus Bridges.

While FETÖ’s coup soldiers continued firing at the crowd, a tank and armored vehicles came on the bridge from the Beylerbeyi entrance on the wrong side of traffic.

While FETÖ’s coup soldiers continued firing at the crowd, a tank and armored vehicles came on the bridge from the Beylerbeyi entrance on the wrong side of traffic.

Units that hit the road on the instructions of the coup generals were carrying ammunition, including 10 tank shells, 2,000 MG3 bullet series, three boxes of ammunition for ZMAs and 5,000 bullets for armored personnel carriers.

Units that hit the road on the instructions of the coup generals were carrying ammunition, including 10 tank shells, 2,000 MG3 bullet series, three boxes of ammunition for ZMAs and 5,000 bullets for armored personnel carriers.

Soldiers controlling Bosporus Bridge during the coup attempt shot shells toward civilians and police.

Soldiers controlling Bosporus Bridge during the coup attempt shot shells toward civilians and police.

12	All soldiers who occupied the Bosporus Bridge during the July 15 coup attempt surrendered. The bridge was renamed the July 15 Martyrs Bridge with a Cabinet decree on July 25.

12 All soldiers who occupied the Bosporus Bridge during the July 15 coup attempt surrendered. The bridge was renamed the July 15 Martyrs Bridge with a Cabinet decree on July 25.

Six civilians, Erol Olçak and his 16-year-old son Abdullah Tayyip Olçok, were martyred in the first round of gunfire.

Six civilians, Erol Olçak and his 16-year-old son Abdullah Tayyip Olçok, were martyred in the first round of gunfire.

11	An anti-riot water cannon vehicle was shot and burst into flames.

11 An anti-riot water cannon vehicle was shot and burst into flames.

3	Two tanks and armored personnel carriers proceeded to seize the bridges. Four tanks, two armored personnel carriers and two armored combat vehicles were directed to Sabiha Gökçen Airport; four armored personnel carriers to the 1st Army Commandership; four armored personnel carriers to Acıbadem Telekom; and eight tanks, two armored personnel carriers and two armored combat vehicles to the Üsküdar riot police base.

3 Two tanks and armored personnel carriers proceeded to seize the bridges. Four tanks, two armored personnel carriers and two armored combat vehicles were directed to Sabiha Gökçen Airport; four armored personnel carriers to the 1st Army Commandership; four armored personnel carriers to Acıbadem Telekom; and eight tanks, two armored personnel carriers and two armored combat vehicles to the Üsküdar riot police base.

FETÖ coup soldiers closed traffic from the Anatolian to European Side of Istanbul on the Bosporus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridges.

FETÖ coup soldiers closed traffic from the Anatolian to European Side of Istanbul on the Bosporus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridges.

Civilians who were shot and injured were taken to hospitals in taxis, ambulances and sometimes motorcycles.

Civilians who were shot and injured were taken to hospitals in taxis, ambulances and sometimes motorcycles.

The Bosporus and Fatih Sultan Mehmet Bridges on the night of July 15
News of one of the bloodiest nights in Turkey, the July 15 coup attempt, first spread with the disturbance on the Fatih Sultan Mehmet and Bosporus Bridges. Citizens realizing that both bridges were occupied by traitor FETÖ soldiers resisted, saying: “We won’t surrender this land to you”, on the call of President Erdoğan to the public to claim the streets.

‘This country is ours, nobody can take it from us’

Olçok went to the streets right after he heard about the coup attempt. Olçok, who was getting prepared to leave his house in Altunizade, told his son Abdullah to stay with his mother and siblings. Abdullah Tayyip did not listen to his father and answered: “I’ll go where you go.” After this, they left the house to stop the coup attempt.

Olçok and his son went to Altunizade at first. He encouraged the people on the streets by saying: “This country is ours, nobody can take it from us. Things are bad at the bridge, we should take it back.” Olçok was leading the crowd with young people as it grew on the way to the Bosporus Bridge got .

He was martyred with 3 bullets

Shots were fired at the crowd as it was moving chanting “Allahu Akbar” and other slogans. He tried to convince the soldiers to stop. He wanted to take his son to a safer place after he saw that they would not be convinced. Then he was shot. His son was shot by two armor-piercing bullets as he was running to help his father. Abdullah Tayyip Olçok was martyred at the scene and Erol Olçok succumbed to his wounds at the hospital.

Erdoğan: Erol was my road companion

Olçok and his son was buried in Karacaahmet Graveyard after the funeral that was held at the Marmara University Faculty of Theology Mosque. Erdoğan, who gave a speech at the funeral, was not able to hold back his tears. After he said: “Erol was my road companion,” he said he could not talk anymore and was so sorry. Erdoğan recited the Quran by the Olçoks’ graves.

President Erdoğan could not hold back his tears at the funeral of martyrs Erol Olçak and Mustafa Cambaz
PLAY 00:02:21
President Erdoğan could not hold back his tears at the funeral of martyrs Erol Olçak and Mustafa Cambaz
Yeni Şafak
President Erdoğan attended the funerals of Erol Olçak, his son Abdullah Olçak and Yeni Şafak photojournalist Mustafa Cambaz, who all died while resisting the coup attempt. Erdoğan could not hold back his tears during his speech at the funeral and had to cut his speech short.

‘Erol gave so much to us’

Former President Abdullah Gül also said he was very close friends with Olçok and said: “We had a very special friendship. We had met recently. We agreed to meet again. He was a very talented friend. We are all saddened by his death. May he rest in peace. May his son, our son, Abdullah, rest in peace as well. It’s true that Erol gave so much to us. He gave so much to this cause as well. We shall never forget him. May God rest his soul. May he rest in peace.”

The name of the martyr is eternal now

After the martyrdom of Olçok, Beylerbeyi Sport Club, which is a third league football team, changed the name of their stadium to Martyr Erol Olçok Stadium. His name was given to a cinema at Uşak University, the Çorum Education and Research Hospital, a municipal park in Meram in Konya, the Maltepe campus of the Social Security Institution, an Anatolian imam hatip high school in Kahramanmaraş, an elementary school in Karatay in Konya, an Anatolian imam hatip high school in Çorum, an Anatolian imam hatip high school in Ümraniye, a middle school in Hakkari and the library in the Ardıçlı IMKB Regional Boarding Secondary School in the Hassa district of Hatay.

Erol Olçok died as a martyr next to me
PLAY 00:03:13
Erol Olçok died as a martyr next to me
Yeni Şafak
Ramazan Demir, a good friend of renowned advertiser Erol Olçok who died as a martyr on the Martyrs Bridge during the July 15 coup attempt staged by FETÖ, fought alongside Olçok and told yenisafak.com about how they resisted shoulder to shoulder.