Celebration of national days in Turkey as a new form of protest

This study examines the celebrations of national days during the AKP (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi – Justice and Development Party) era. It argues that the Kemalist opposition began celebrating national holidays in a conspicuous and enthusiastic manner to demonstrate their disapproval of the government in response to the AKP’s authoritarian turn during the second decade of its rule. Utilizing the conceptual and analytical framework developed by Charles Tilly, this study explores this form of protest through observations during the Republican Day celebrations in 2022 and 2023 and in-depth interviews conducted with participants who have been actively joining the national holiday celebrations. It concludes that the celebrations of national holidays for the Kemalist opposition have turned into a new form of protest that is silent, safe, and legitimate to show their existence and discontent against the AKP’s policies.