Thousands marched in Menemen with a love for the republic.

On the 101st anniversary of the Republic, thousands of people of all ages from Menemen walked from the city stadium to the Republic Square. Mayor Aydın Pehlivan said, “You shook the heavens with our marches, you trembled the ground. I am honored and proud to be with you. Happy 101st anniversary of our Republic.”

The Republic Day celebrations in Menemen featured colorful scenes. The celebrations, which began with a parade on Atatürk Avenue in the morning, saw high participation, with Menemen Mayor Aydın Pehlivan dancing the Zeybek with the citizens. In the next program of the day, the model airplane show by the Turkish Aeronautical Association Menemen Branch and the İzmir Model Airplane Club was watched with great interest.

The most beautiful moments of excitement and national pride for the 101st anniversary of the Republic were experienced in the evening. An organized Republic March, initiated from in front of the stadium by the municipality, took place. The march, which ended at Republic Square, followed the route of Lise Yolu and Sevgi Yolu, with Menemen Mayor Aydın Pehlivan participating alongside his wife, Filiz Pehlivan. Throughout the march, citizens who came out on the balconies of the houses along the route waved their flags in support of the parade, while the most beautiful anthems of the Republic were sung in unison.

“Republic means national will”

At the end of the march, Menemen Mayor Aydın Pehlivan addressed the citizens from the stage set up at Republic Square, stating, “Republic means that a child born in a village in Anatolia can become president. The Republic is the greatest achievement of our women. The Republic means national will. The republic, which our Great Leader Gazi Mustafa Kemal Atatürk described as ‘My greatest work,’ is the most valuable legacy left to the Turkish nation and an indispensable achievement. Just as our President Mr. Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said, ‘We did not come to be masters of this nation, but to be their servants,’ the Republic is a system of governance where those who govern are servants, not masters. As Aydın Pehlivan, I am as much the guardian of Menemen as I am the servant of Menemen, and I am honored, proud, and delighted by this service role that the Republic has entrusted to me. Long live the Republic, long live Turkey! Happy 101st anniversary of our Republic Day.”

After Mayor Aydın Pehlivan’s speech, fireworks transformed the darkness of the night into day, and the event concluded with a DJ performance.