As national pride surges, Turkey's flag sellers struggle to profit
Following the coup attempt, Turkey's public squares have turned into a sea of red as supporters of the government wave flags late into the night; yet while business is booming for producers, many flag sellers are struggling to make a profit during Turkey's new festive holiday.
"I don’t know how he did it, but he made his way into our hearts," mused Adnan, a bayrakci (flag seller) in his mid-50s. "I feel like [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan is part of my family." Since the July 15 coup attempt, successfully beaten back by supporters of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) called to the streets by the president in his now infamous FaceTime address, dozens of bayrakcis have flooded the area around Istanbul's Taksim Square to flog their wares.
Adnan, hailing from Istanbul, is a typical flag seller. Year-round he roams Istanbul’s neighborhoods selling flags at a small profit. The most successful periods for flag sellers are bayrams, or public holidays. Many bayrakci sell flags strictly on bayram days, reserving the rest of the year for other vending efforts, such as selling water, flowers and produce on the streets.
On July 23, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim declared July 15 a new holiday: Demokrasi Bayrami (Democracy Holiday). Yildirim praised the thousands of Turkish citizens who came out onto the streets to beat back tanks and soldiers, saying, "Our people gave the best response against this terror gang."
Adnan and his colleague Osman, who migrated from Kayseri to Istanbul, are emphatic about the country's new festival of democracy. The days following the botched coup attempt have been good, said Osman. "Life was really hard, for example, during [ex-Prime Minister Bulent] Ecevit's years. Do you think you could have gone out in the streets at 3 a.m. like kids do now? … It's a much more free society now."
