Monday, June 3, 2013

#occupygezi


"If this is about staging a protest, about a social movement, I would … gather 200,000 where they gather 20, and where they gather 100,000, I would gather 1 million party supporters. Let's not go down that road." ~ Recep Tayyip Erdogan

"We don't want to fight. But we are not going to give up either." ~ Lale

"We have arrived at the end of our patience," Erdoğan told local party leaders in a speech in Ankara yesterday. "I am giving you my final warning." ~ Recep Tayyip Erdogan

"We tried to flee and the police pursued us. It was like war," 
~ Claudia Roth, a German politician who was on the scene to show her support for the protesters


UPDATE 6/30:

RT Reports:

Thousands of protesters have gathered in Istanbul in an anti-government rally to denounce government use of force against the demonstrators and to show solidarity with the Kurds after a Kurdish protester was killed in southeastern Turkey on Friday.

Saturday’s Taksim Square protest was dispersed after a couple of hours following a police warning, as law enforcement used shields to push the crowd away from the square. Water cannon trucks were also present but no water was fired.

"Murderer police, get out of Kurdistan!"
 some protesters chanted as they approached the cordoned area."This is only the beginning, the struggle continues. The murderer state will pay!"

Around 1,000 people have remained after the warning and were pursued by police on to the side streets where ten people were detained according to the Hürriyet Daily.


UPDATE 6/22:

Al Jazeera reports:

Turkey has charged 22 more people over alleged role in anti-government protests, accusing them of acting on behalf of a far-left "terrorist" group, lawyers have said.

***

The indictments bring to at least 46 the number of people facing charges over the demonstrations that have presented Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his government with the biggest challenge of its decade-old rule.



Erdogan told a pro-government rally on Saturday in Samsun that protest-hit Brazil was a victim of the same conspiracy that he has blamed for demonstrations against his own rule.
"Those who failed in Turkey are now doing their best in Brazil,'' he claimed. The Brazilian government has pledged to act on protesters' demands, which stemmed from bus fare increases.
Hours after the speech, thousands of people gathered in Istanbul's Taksim Square for the first anti-government protest in a week. Al Jazeera's Pinar Sayar Kizilcali said the protest was a commemoration for those killed in earlier protests.
Riot police again fired water cannon to clear them, after protesters had thrown red carnations at police before they opened fire.

UPDATE 6/19:

Descrier described the situation in Turkey up till now perfectly when they reported:

The world has been watching the Turkish protests with interest over the last two weeks, as a country which many saw as a possible model for post-Arab Spring democracies crush peaceful protests with violence. However, it is the arrests of lawyers, journalists, and doctors who were helping protesters or uncovering police brutality that best demonstrate Prime Minister Erdogan's authoritarian roots.

The international press have been showing images of peaceful protesters being knocked off their feet by high pressure water cannons and the clouds of tear gas over Taksim Square for the last two weeks. However, it is the ease with which Erdogan's government managed to censor the national Turkish press, announce the possibility of using the army to quell further protest, and arrest journalists, lawyers, and doctors for helping the protesters, that really demonstrates its darker authoritarian tendencies.

***

With journalists, lawyers, and doctors facing prison for helping peaceful protesters, any semblance of a liberal democracy is rapidly evaporating and being replaced by worrying authoritarianism in the country in which the east meets the west.

UPDATE 6/18:

According to The Guardian:

Erdem Gunduz is a legend. And all he had to do to earn this status was to stand completely still. Gunduz, a performance artist and left-Kemalist, began to stand still in Taksim Square on Monday at 6pm local time. He stood, facing the Ataturk cultural centre, until 2am. It was a silent, stubborn and dignified protest against the brutality of the police response to demonstrators, which had culminated in a sinister weekend assault whose targets included medics and staff who treated the wounded. Indeed, the ministry of health went so far as to threaten to withdraw the licenses of medical personnel who treated protesters injured by police. 

***

Gunduz's protest was both an affront and a question for the authorities: beat him? Why? He's just standing there. Leave him alone? Then he wins, doesn't he?

UPDATE 6/16:

From NBC News:



Violence surged around Istanbul’s Taksim Square overnight Sunday as police vehicles cleared the area in preparation for a response rally set to be held Sunday by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and the ruling AK Party. 


"We have our Istanbul rally tomorrow. I say it clearly: Taksim Square must be evacuated, otherwise this country's security forces know how to evacuate it," Erdogan told supporters at a rally in Ankara on Saturday, according to Reuters. 



***


Within an hour of Erdogan’s warning Saturday to rioters that security forces “know how to clear” the area, water cannons were fired to evict protesters from the park. Armored police cars, fire trucks and sanitation vehicles were brought in to clear the remaining tents, debris, and barricades.

UPDATE 6/14:

From The Chicago Tribune:

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan told protesters on Friday he would put redevelopment plans for an Istanbul park on hold until a court rules, striking a markedly more conciliatory tone after two weeks of fierce anti-government demonstrations.

***


Erdogan's gesture at an overnight meeting was largely symbolic as the government is required by law to respect the court decision on an action brought by the environmentalists trying to block the plan.
UPDATE 6/13:

From The Gaurdian:


Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, delivered a stark "final warning" on Thursday to thousands of defiant protesters still camped out in Istanbul's Gezi park, demanding that they end their occupation.
Describing the protesters as troublemakers, Erdoğan said the government had reached the "end of its patience" over the continuing demonstrations against his leadership, in which five people have been killed since 31 May. Erdoğan had earlier issued a 24-hour deadline to clear Taksim Square and Gezi park.
Erdoğan spoke as the latest person to die in the demonstrations was named as 26-year-old Ethem Sarısülük, who had been on life support for days. He was pronounced dead after he was hit in the head by a tear gas canister on 1 June during a protest in the capital, Ankara.
***
Despite the warnings, new protesters of all ages continued to arrive in the camp, insisting they would not be frightened away. Among them was Kerim Ozken, 63, a retired bank worker and writer. "I think the police might attack again tonight," he said, reflecting the fears of many in the camp, which is surrounded in places by makeshift barricades. "Tayyip [Erdoğan] said it will be over tonight. He thinks it is a war. It is idiotic. Really idiotic. He thinks he can change people's minds by force."
So far during the protests, 5,000 protesters and 600 police have been reported injured.

UPDATE 6/12:
According the the Telegraph:


The efforts to stamp out the mass anti-government demonstrations, which have plagued the government for more than a week, came as Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan warned his patience was wearing thin and that demonstrators would soon "pay a price" for their dissent.
"Those who do not respect this nation's party in power will pay a price,"
And the NY Times reports:
Taksim Square erupted in chaos on Tuesday night as the riot police hit protesters with tear gas and water cannons, sending thousands of people fleeing down side streets, and Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey struggled to contain a political crisis that has threatened the nation’s economy and paralyzed the government.
UPDATE 6/6:

Protesters in Turkey are holding strong and not allowing a government crack down to demoralize their efforts.  In a too little too late attempt to apologize to the citizens of the country, Deputy Prime Minister Bulent Arinc was quoted as saying:
"I apologise to those who were subject to violence because of their sensitivity for the environment," he said, though he added that his apology excluded "the rioters".
"The government has learnt its lesson from what happened," he added. "We do not have the right and cannot afford to ignore people. Democracies cannot exist without opposition."
According to the Telegraph:
The government earlier won praise from the United States for apologizing to injured protesters, but that concession did not appear to have stemmed popular anger.
HOLY SHIT!

The American government is filled with the biggest hypocrites in the entire world!  When police nationwide cracked down on the Occupy movement, injuring and arresting hundreds, did anyone apologize?  I think not.  The authorities went on their way demonizing Occupiers as if they were evil and deserved whatever came to them.  Yet we praise another country for apologizing to their citizens.  Where the hell is our apology? 

ORIGINAL:

Like millions of others, the first I heard of the unrest in Turkey came while watching a video of a man being blasted in the face with a water cannon.  Of course YouTube, being a draconian hub for global elitist to allow or disallow what they deem fit, banned the original video which had reached over 2 million views.  Luckily it has been reloaded by others and you can also see it just below if you haven't had a chance yet.


Because pictures speak louder than words I decided that before I get in to the bulk of this article I will share some of the most powerful images from the last 5 days in Turkey.  Thanks to Redditors kinataki and guessucant for their contributions to the community.  Afterwards if you want to know more about what is going on feel free to read on...
































So for 6 days now a protest that started as a 50 person demonstration to save a park has turned in to tens of thousands of people battling the police over their general disgust in their elected officials. I could attempt to explain the situation in my own words, but I think a Reddit comment I read yesterday captures the first five days in such a perfect manner that I'd like to share it.

Toll

  • Death Toll: 4
  • Injury Toll: 1700+ (Doctors Association) - 76 (Official figures)

Day One

On the 28th of May, no more than 50 protesters gathered at Gezi Park, which is considered the 'Central Park' of Istanbul to protest it's planned demolition and shopping mall successor. The outskirts of the park were demolished although bulldozing stopped after the prominent public figure Sirri Sureyya Onder stepped in. Sirri is a politician, actor and director and well known throughout Turkey.
The bulldozing stopped until the police had arrived to support the process. This continued until Sirri asked to see the legal permits for the demolition, to which the company had none. Tear gas had been used on the peaceful protest which is likely to have sparked the growth of the protests.


Day Two

The following day, the protest grew to show support and stand guard for the park and prevent the demolition. Tents were set up with plans for a peaceful protest put in place. The protesters had planned a press conference for the following day at 12:30 pm, a concert a 6 pm and movie showing at 10 pm.
Politicians, Celebrities and other prominent figures in Turkey showed up to show their support for the protesters and opposition against the demolition, with some even cancelling appearances at premieres etc.

Day Three

On the 31st of May - Shit hit the fan. The police started with a dawn raid on the protesters using tear gas and water cannons to break up the peaceful protests. The point of this raid was to disperse the protesters away from the park, to which they barricaded entry to.
Over 100 injuries were reported after police continued to use water cannons, pepper spray and gas canisters to move the crowds. Army soldiers were seen handing gas masks to the crowds as to protect them from harmful amounts of the material. The demolition for the park had been put on the hold, waiting for an inquest into the demolition to be finished.
Turkish Doctors claimed over 1,000 people had been injured from the force used by the police to disperse what was a peaceful protest. The protests began to spread to Ankara and Izmir. Ankara saw the use of a helicopter to drop tear gas into the crowd, whilst police used electric shock battons on activists.
Up to 10,000 people demonstrated in Ankara alone.

Day Four

At roughly 1:30 pm (BBC) people started banging pots and pans, blowing whistles and creating noise. Thousands of protesters took to the streets with many travelling over the bosphorus bridge to show their opposition to the police brutality and government response.
At roughly 3:45 pm, Police were called to retreat from Taksim and allow the protesters to remain there in peace.
Ankara saw large protests, with again up to 10,000 people taking to the street. National buildings experienced heightened security details whilst other locations throughout turkey gathered more and more power.
This was when the Agent Orange claims started to come out - These turned out to be Skunk, an Israeli Crowd Control Deterrent that induces dizziness and vomiting.

Day Five

Day five has seen the largest protests yet. Originally the day started out quiet in Istanbul, where protesters gathered to clean up from the night before. As the day progressed, the cleaning stopped due to larger crowds gathering and police intervention. At just after 2 pm local time, Istanbul's Taksim Square was packed with protesters from a range of political groups.
Ankara has seen over 10,000 people take to the streets to show their opposition to the government, to which police were ordered to back off.
Reports and [Images from Izmir] suggest violent clashes between police officers and the protesters, although a third group of AKP supporters are reported to be supporting the police in confrontations. There are also numerous reports of buildings being set ablaze, although set alight by extremists who do not represent the majority of protesters. There has also been a lot of damages to stores from Police Water Cannon Vehicles.
The PM made one speech early at a Balkan event, with much 'tree talk' - Something we have come to expect from him. Later on in the day, he had an interview with a sympathetic journalist who asked favorable questions. He is reported as saying the Ataturk Cultural Center will be demolished in favor of a mosque. Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan is reported to be leaving on a three day tour to visit North African Nations.
Links

Thanks for reading - Hope this helped and cleared a few things up.
Until next time,
TheEarthquakeGuy

Of course this comment only starts to scratch the surface of whats actually happening on the street.  On June 1st the New York Times opened an article by stating:
ISTANBUL — Violent protests against the government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan engulfed Istanbul, Turkey’s largest city, on Saturday and spread to other cities, including the capital, Ankara, as tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets in a second day of civil unrest and faced the tear gas and water cannons of a harsh police crackdown.

On the same day The Guardian reported:
Turkey's prime minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was facing the biggest challenge to his 10-year rule this weekend as parts of Istanbul turned into a war zone. Violent clashes took place between riot police and tens of thousands of demonstrators outraged at the heavy-handed response of authorities to an environmental protest on Friday.

The article goes on to say:
Police eventually withdrew from the city's central Taksim Square early on Saturday evening, bringing an end to the clashes. By late night thousands of people were celebrating there. "This is it, we won, Gezi Park is ours again", said Burcu Kurhan, 33, one protester who joined the crowds in the inner-city park where peaceful protests started on Monday. "But we hope that Tayyip will have to go!"

Just to give you an idea of what the protesters were like before the next round of violent action was initiated by the government:
Inside the park, the atmosphere resembled that of a summer music festival, with people scattered on the grass, singing, chatting and enjoying a beer. Celebrations united many factions of Turkish society – leftist groups, unions, nationalists, Kemalists and members of the gay and transgender communities waving rainbow flags.

So just like in Zuccotti Park and around the U.S. during the height of the Occupy movement the police busted in the made sure these peaceful fun loving hippies know who's in control.  When they did so, just like during the first few weeks of Occupy Wall Street, their local media didn't even mention a word of it on air.

The lack of media coverage has further inflamed tension on the streets. "There is a total media blackout on this in Turkey, the Turkish media silent on the protests; they all collaborate with the government," said 21-year-old student Ayse Sarac. "We follow the foreign news coverage to get more information."

Local doctors explain the situation on the ground as such:
Hundreds have sustained injuries over the past two days, some serious, with at least three people said to be in critical condition. There are reports of head trauma and broken limbs. Human Rights Watch confirmed that one 23-year-old student lost an eye after being hit with a plastic bullet by police.

In what can only be called a "practical joke" the US has "expressed concern over the way the Turkish government is handling the situation".  It makes sense if you think about it this way, the US wants a monopoly over violence and power, if they could they would copyright police brutality and make other countries pay for using their tactics.  

On Sunday the reports were coming in with a slightly more positive tone as The Daily Beast claimed:

The crowds in Taksim Square had free reign in the pre-dawn hours early Sunday. For days, Istanbul’s main square and the normally bustling pedestrian thoroughfare that spills into it had been the scene of clashes between police and protesters, with 1,000 people reportedly hospitalized. But the cops pulled back on Saturday, and the tear gas clouds cleared. Thousands of jubilant protesters remained through the day, chanting against the government and shooting off fireworks.

This "jubilant" scene wasn't without it's dark side though as just hours before:
Cars were vandalized and flipped on their sides. Protesters used some of the wrecked vehicles to build barriers in case police returned. 

While in other parts of the city:
Bystanders fled from another as a construction crane burst into flames. Minutes later, many headed for the exits, looking dismayed, as an oil tanker exploded and gas fumes filled the air. 

One protester explained the reasons for the original demonstration as such:
Taksim’s Gezi Park is just larger than a soccer pitch. But it’s one of the last green spaces in crowded central Istanbul, and when the bulldozers from one of the government’s latest and most controversial construction projects threatened to raze it to make room for a shopping mall, residents fought back. 

In response to the protesters attempting to save a park the Prime Minister was quoted by The Independent ad saying:
“We will build a mosque in Taksim and we do not need the permission of the CHP [Republican People’s Party, the main opposition party in Parliament] or of a few bums to do it.”

As if tens of thousands of angry citizens are "a few bums".  I guess to the political and financial elite that's exactly what we are, a world full of bums.  The people in the street of Turkey however are no longer willing to be treated that way, as one protester proclaimed:
“People were afraid of being beaten and of being gassed, but we have shown that we are not anymore,” said Halil Sertbulut, a 37-year-old PhD candidate in political science, speaking in Taksim Square. “Finally the people of Turkey have become politically active”, he added.

Yesterday in an Al Jazeera article further heavy handed tactics by the police were revealed:
The unrest has spread to other cities across the country, with police on Saturday blocking a group of demonstrators from marching to parliament and the prime minister's office in Ankara.
Stone-throwing protesters clashed with police in the Kizilay district of the Turkish capital as a helicopter fired tear gas into the crowds.
Riot police with electric shock batons chased demonstrators into side streets and shops.
The article goes on to say:
Clashes raged on during the night, with thousands of people marching through Turkey's largest city, some banging pots and pans as residents shouted support from the windows.
Others held up cans of beer in defiance of the recent alcohol law passed by the Islamist-rooted ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) that would bring severe restrictions to the sale and advertising of alcohol.
The banging of pots and pans is very similar to what Canadian students were doing night after night in protests against tuition hikes last year.  In the video at the top of this post you will also notice a protester in a Guy Fawkes mask.  These signs of a  global movement really give me hope for the future.  We have our individual battles to fight across the map but as a suppressed people we are awakening together and learning from each other just how to beat the tyrants.

I'll leave you with...


A Letter to the Rest of the World 

I can be the first to admit that I've never been very politically active. I always watched from the sidelines. This is the first time in my 30 years that tears well up for what is happening just up the road from where I write these words. 

Living abroad for many years, it was easy to brush off foreign news of civil unrest. Watching it on TV was always like some action movie, easily commented upon and then quickly brushed off as I watched in local bars or airport lounges. 

Seeing the Istanbul police attacks for the first time today was chilling. Police are not only using tear gas, but plastic bullets, water cannons and physical violence. The photographs are all over social media worldwide. 

Police are packing people into the subway stations and throwing in tear gas, attacking hospitals where the injured are being treated. A man and a girl have reportedly been killed. Even a politician has been seriously injured. 

People from all ages and races, all political viewpoints are coming together to fight. People are moving up towards Taksim, being attacked and pushed out and then relentlessly returning to the site of the attacks. People are angry to the core of their beings. 

Amongst the plight, it warms the soul to see people uniting together. While being attacked earlier, people threw lemons from their houses to remedy the effects of tear gas. Others let each other into shops. People are leaving out food and water for each other on street corners. 

At the moment I write these words, helicopters are throwing gas bombs onto innocent civilians just up the road. The chilling sound of sirens is in the air. Its almost like one of those films you watch from afar. Sirens and the sound of the night mosque prayer come together in an ironic harmony. 

The Turkish media has been silenced and it is up to the rest of the world to help spread the word of these civilian attacks. Notify your local and national media, and tag them on twitter to make them speak the truth about what is happening. This is a for humanity, no less. 

Twitter tags may be tagged with the following media outlet tags: 
@bbc @cnn @aljazeera @nytimes @foxnews @newsweek @theeconomist @reuters @huffingtonpost @whitehouse @bbcclick @usatoday @gawker @usweekly @parisreview @usabreakingnews @bbcworld @abc @cnnlive @politico @newyorkpost @abc7 

For live streaming of the attacks (click on the blue video icon on the top right corner) 
http://www.dha.com.tr/ 

For continually updated photos of the attacks: 
http://occupygezipics.tumblr.com/ 

Twitters top trending tag: 
#direngeziparki 





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