Ankara, Shawwal 17, 1437, July 22, 2016, SPA -- The 15th of July, the day an attempted coup began in Turkey, has been designated as a day to commemorate martyrs, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday, according to dpa. "Coming generations will never forget the heroes of the fight for democracy," Erdogan said at a news conference, according to the state-run news agency Anadolu. More than 260 people died in the attempted coup. Erdogan also stressed that its necessary that people continue to defend against the most "insidious and vile" coup attempt in the history of the Turkish people. He called for the continuation of meetings designated by the government as "democracy guards" in Turkish cities. The citizens should assemble and occupy the central squares of cities "until our country has placed this difficult phase completely behind it." --SPA 03:04 LOCAL TIME 00:04 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w