As someone who for several years has been a part of the growing number of UK residents that have activley campaigned and protested for human rights all over the world I wondered if my campaigning days were over when I left the UK for Turkey. Well I have only been here for four months and I have already realised that this is far from the truth. I have began to slowly understand the politics of Turkey and what the ruling AKP party stands for.
So today I write this post as a resident of Istanbul, an outsider watching a series of events unfold. My activist's mind can see where this is all heading and what the end result will be. There seems to be a lot of discontentment with Tayyip Erdogan and the AKP party but recent events at Gezi park have shown how deep rooted this resentment really is.
For those of you that are not aware of the situation let me give you a brief run down on what has been happening over the last few days. Gezi park is one of the last remaining green areas in Istanbul, a city so over developed that not an inch of space is left undisturbed by some sort of development or symbol of capitalism. This small park just off Taksim square is the last remaining oasis of greenery that Taksim has to offer. It is a safe haven for mothers and their children, for office workers on their lunch breaks, for tourists seeking a respite from the hustle and bustle of the busy streets and for your average Istanbulite to find colour and nature in an otherwise overly industrialised area.
Yet Tayyip Erdogan has decided without any consultation to demolish this safe haven and to turn it into a new shopping mall, something that Istanbul clearly does not need or want, as the city is abundantly full of these hugh sprawling malls. He wants to bulldoze down the trees and replace them with designer shops and cafes, to feed into the consumer culture that is already eating away at the history and beauty of Istanbul.
This has become the final nail in the coffin for most people in Turkey fed up with the privatisation of Turkish resources and the totally toliterian state Turkey has become in recent years.
On May 27th things took a turn for the worst. People took to Gezi park to protest and occupy the park, to stand up for their human right of freedom of speech. The response by AKP and the police to this peaceful demonstration was a violent one, the protesters showed humility and restraint while the police showed agression and violence. Numerous activists, Journalists and even tourists and children were caught up in the ensuing violence, with one tourist in hospital with a brain hemmorage and a student undergoing surgery on his ears and genitalia after being attacked by the police as well as over 100 people injured.
As I write this I am watching a live stream of Taksim square and the surrounding area and I am totally shocked and disgusted by the extreme force being used by the police. Peaceful protesters are being attacked by over zealous police using tear gas and water canons, it is clear that Tayyip Erdogan does not want the voices of the everyday man and woman to be heard and that he will do all he can in his power to subdue and silence the voice of the people. what started as a protest about a park has become so much more, the park has become the symbol of the people and the freedom of expression.
http://www.dha.com.tr/canli-yayin/
This is the link for the live feed at the events in Taksim. It is reminiscent of scenes in many arab countries during the arab spring and leaves me pondering if this could possibly be the beginning of the end for the Tayyip Erdogan dictatorship. Maybe this is the spark that will unite the country to move away from the currents government's capitalist, pro Zionist, pro American stance and move onto something bigger and better. Inshallah all we can do is pray for the safety of those brave souls fighting for their beliefs and their right to have a voice. I will endevour to keep you up to date with this and ask for your Prayers and supports for my friends heading over there today. I feel whether you are pro government, anti government or just don't understand the situation the important thing to look at is the treatment of the activists at the hands of the police. I hope once I am back in Istanbul to get over there myself and document what is happening.
I would like to leave you with a message from a friend's facebook wall and ask you to share both this and this blog post so that we can show the people of Turkey that they are not alone in the war against Tyranny and that we stand shoulder to shoulder with them in the fight against Capitalism, Imperialism and oppression.
Viva La revolucion Comrades
As our friends overseas, we need your help. Send this message to everyone you know.
For the past few days, peaceful Turkish citizens have been protesting the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park, one of the few green areas left in the center of Istanbul. The plan by the Erdogan-run AKP government is to build a large shopping center instead, benefitting his own interests and filling his own pockets. Create awareness internationally about our plight, or matters are going to get much, much worse. We want all international media channels - social and mass - to report this news.
This has become a matter about more than just saving trees. This is an 'I can do whatever I damn well want', fascist mentality that not only supresses but attacks its own people.
To make matters worse, media channels are being censored so as not to display the news.
#direngeziparki is now the 2nd worldwide trending topic on Twitter.
Please help us to share this message and stop Erdogan's ruthless, inhumane acts.
What you can do:
- Forward this message to everyone you know
- Send your support messages through twitter with the #direngeziparki hashtag
- Tag @bbc @cnn @reuters and other large media channels in these posts
- Post this message on facebook
- Let your local and national media channels know
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| tear gas at Taksim square |
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| Gezi park |
