Erol Olçok

Erol Olçok, who was working with Recep Tayyip Erdoğan since 1993 and who made a great effort on advertising, corporate promotion and organization areas, especially since the establishment of AK Party, along with his 16-year-old son Abdullah Tayyip, joined the resistance in Altunizade and then on the July 15, Martyrs' bridge, where the attacks were intense during FETO's treacherous coup attempt. Olçok and his son were killed on the bridge by traitors' bullets while trying to persuade the coup plotters.

A life full of success from Çorum to Istanbul

Erol Olçok, who was originally Circassian, was born on March 5, 1962, in Mecideyekavak village of Çorum. After studying primary school in his village, he studied in a Quran course in Çorum for 2 years. He, then, continued his education at Çorum Religious Vocational High School. He started university in 1982 and came to Istanbul for the first time. He graduated from the Department of Aesthetics and Art History of Istanbul University in 1986. He established Slayt Advertising Agency in 1987, Rekpa Advertising Agency in 1988, and Ajans E in 1989.

He conducted his first election campaign in the Local Elections of 27 March 1994. Afterward, he started his career as a press consultant at Istanbul Ulaşım A.Ş. which is an affiliate company of the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. In January 1995, he became the Press Adviser to Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mayor of Istanbul. He married Nihal Olçok in 1998 and his first son Abdullah Tayyip was born in 1999.

He established an advertising agency named Arter in 1998. Erol Olçok, who worked with President Erdogan from the beginning of his 1993 Istanbul Provincial Presidency, designed AK Party's name, logo, found its slogans and carried out the party's corporate identity work. On 3 November 2002, he led AK Party's general election campaign. Erol Olçok's “There is No Rest for The Weary” in 2007, “We Came Down the Same Road” in 2011, “Flag” in 2014, and the commercial film “Fors (the Seal)” of Presidency in 2015 became his best-known works.

“This country is ours, no one can take it from us”

As soon as being informed of the coup attempt on the evening of July 15, Erol Olçok immediately took action to go to the squares. When he prepared to leave his home in Altunizade, he told his son, Abdullah, to stay with his mother and siblings. Abdullah Tayyip, who did not listen to his father, responded, “Wherever you go, I will go with you”. Thereupon, the father and son headed out together to not give a passage to the coup plotters.

Erol Olçok and his son first went to Altunizade. Olçok encouraged the citizens on the streets with his words and said, "This country is ours, no one can take this country from us. The problem on the bridge is quite serious my friends, we have to get there”. While the number of crowds marching towards the Bosphorus Bridge was increasing, Erol Olçok was walking in the forefront with the young ones.

He was martyred with 3 bullets.

Fire commenced from the bridge while the crowd was moving towards the bridge, shouting the Takbir and slogans. Erol Olçok tried to persuade the soldiers. When he realized that they will not be convinced, he wanted to move his son Abdullah to a safer place. Just then, he was shot with a bullet fired by coup plotters. Abdullah Tayyip, who run to help his father, was shot with 2 armor-piercing bullets. Abdullah Tayyip Olçok was martyred at the scene, while Erol Olçok reached martyrdom at the hospital.

Erdogan: Erol was my comrade

Erol Olçok and his son Abdullah Tayyip Olçok were buried in Karacaahmet Cemetery after a funeral ceremony held at the Marmara Faculty of Theology Mosque. Speaking at the funeral ceremony, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan couldn't hold back his tears. Erdogan stated that he cannot continue talking and is very sad and continued, "Erol was my comrade". Erdogan read the Quran at the grave of Olçoks.

"Erol contributed so many efforts for us"

The 11^th President of Turkey Abdullah Gül also stated that he was very close friends with Erol Olçok and said, "He was a very special person and of course we were close friends. We met recently, and we were planning to meet again. He was a friend of ours with extraordinary qualities. We all go through a feeling of sorrow. May Allah bless him and make him rest in peace. May his son Abdullah, who was also one of our sons, rest in peace. Indeed, Erol contributed many efforts for us. He served the cause many times. We will never forget him. May he rest in peace; may Allah bless him" he said.

His Name as a Martyr was Eternised

After the martyrdom of Erol Olçok, Beylerbeyi Sports Club, which is one of Spor Toto 3rd League teams, has changed the name of Beylerbeyi 75. Yıl Stadium to 'Martyr Erol Olçok Stadium'. The name of the Martyr has given to the movie theater of Uşak University, Çorum Training and Research Hospital, a municipal park in Konya Meram, a campus of Social Security Institution in Maltepe, an Anatolian religious vocational high school in Kahramanmaraş, a primary school in Konya Karatay, an Anatolian religious vocational high school in Çorum, an Anatolian religious vocational high school in İstanbul Ümraniye, a secondary school in Hakkari and to the library opened in Ardıçlı İMKB Regional Boarding Secondary School in Hassa district of Hatay.

Ayşe Aykaç

Housewife