Turkish Protests Escalate: A day of action begins

by Joe Mc Mon Jun 03, 2013 12:43

Thanks for reposting . A protest yesterday at the Spire in O'Connell St by Turkish Occupy supporters living in Dublin attracted approximately thirty to forty people. Hopefully there will be some photographs posted . Despite the mass movement developing in the country , the usual mix of soap operas , reality shows and sitcoms dominated the TV in Turkey over the weekend. According to reports on social media, protesters in Istanbul and Ankara have been turning to news stations from outside Turkey for reports of the anti-government demonstrations.

(With two weeks to go to the G8 summit in Fermanagh it would be sensible to anticipate a similar media blackout in Ireland in the event of a mass movement developing here.. Ireland should begin organizing an independent media to respond to such events ,perhaps? )

by Joe Mc Mon Jun 03, 2013 15:06

The WSM site has a pic of a demo in Dublin’s Stephens Green held on Saturday that attracted 150 people .There is also a video with an interview with a Turkish anarchist on the Gezi Park struggle in Istanbul recorded just before the Dublin demonstration.
http://www.wsm.ie/c/dublin-demonstration-solidarity-gez...e2013

perhaps we'll get a chance to read about the Irish anti-G8 mobilizations on Indymedia Istanbul !

by wageslave - (personal capacity) Mon Jun 03, 2013 19:52

This site is operated as a free and open non corporate service to the public. If nobody cares to use it and post, then what do you expect Joe?

It's as good or as bad as the people posting here.

However people seem to prefer to use corporate sites like facebook, where their personal details and IP addresses are stored and can be easily perused by government actors, and which can be shut down and removed from the internet with little or no warning. There have been quite a few cases of this.

Anyway, we're still here if people care to make use of the facility and we welcome people to post anything they can about the G8 protests here

by Turing Tue Jun 04, 2013 11:54

Final Facebook post by Abullah Comert, the 22 year protester who was killed in Antakya today:

“In the last 3 days, I’ve slept for only 5 hours and I’ve escaped death 3 times. And you know what people say to me? ‘Why bother? Are you going to save the country by yourself?’ Yes, and if we can’t we’ll die trying. (I am so tired, I have gulped down 7 cans of energy drink, and I have taken 9 painkillers, my voice is gone, but I’ll be out on the street again at 6 AM for revolution’s sake)

Abdullah Comert

by Turing Tue Jun 04, 2013 12:22

"Dear Comrades,

Greetings from the anti-facist resistance in Turkey!

As you can observe from international news, there are growing waves of protests all over Turkey against AKP government which has been acting as a dictator for ten years. The resistance against fascist forces of AKP dictatorship began with the protests of the small group against destruction of the Gezi Park, only green area in Taksim. After police forces’ massive and brutal attacks to protesters, protests became widespread both in Istanbul and the rest of Turkey. These protests represent the awakening of Turkish nation to defend the right of assembly and democratic protests, freedom of express and the idea of democratic society. Last four days police forces are attacking to people with tear gas, Agent Orange and water cannon. On the other hand fascist groups who are carrying iron clubs are attacking to people brutally wherever they see a protester.

We, as anti-imperialist and anti-fascist forces, are not going to stop our resistance without overthrowing the government. AKP dictatorship and its fascist forces will learn that: ‘El pueblo unido jamás será vencido ! ’

We want you to support our resistance! Show your decisive reaction against servants of US imperialism. One of the best supports from you is to stop diplomatic relations with AKP government.

Long live anti-imperialist and anti-fascist struggle!

Long live international revolutionary solidarity!

Youth Union of Turkey"

by JoeMc Tue Jun 04, 2013 12:42

It’s not that people prefer using facebook to this site -which is far more closely monitored than facebook is, by the way- they just feel that the indymedia ireland collective no longer supports the anti-globalization movement from which the indymedia project originated . In two weeks time world leaders including war criminals such as Obama , Merkel , Cameron, Hollande are meeting in Ireland . These people are directly responsible for formulating the rightwing policies of the Turkish government that led to the death of Abdullah Comert.

Mobilizations are planned north and south of the border in opposition to G8 -in Dublin , Belfast and Fermanagh itself .Mass repression is being organized by the state in the north , the mobile phone network is to be suspended, prisons reopened , special magistrate courts due to sit, etc.According to the corporate media - which is of course completely onside with G8 - the southern state is working in full cooperation with its counterparts in the north to ensure the summit takes place with the least possible disruption .

For the last month the indymedia ireland site’s front page has featured an article about an event due to take place in Rossport on the week after the G8 meeting takes place.

by JoeMc Tue Jun 04, 2013 14:32

Turkish bond yields have surged to their highest point since 2006 and the Turkish lira and stocks fallen dramatically over the past week reflecting fears in the international monetary market at the anti government demonstrations across the country . Reuters reports that Turks have begun to close their accounts and withdraw their money from banks .

“The markets are scared,” Jerome Broex, a currency and fixed income trader at Turkish Bank in Istanbul, said in e- mailed comments quoted in the SF Chronicle today. “Nobody knows what’s going to happen next.”

by wageslave - (personal capacity) Tue Jun 04, 2013 14:53

"It’s not that people prefer using facebook to this site -which is far more closely monitored than facebook is, by the way- they just feel that the indymedia ireland collective no longer supports the anti-globalization movement from which the indymedia project originated ."

With respect, that's complete and utter bollocks Joe. We don't write the stuff. It's up to the public. Nobody bothered to write anything we could featurise. Personally I'd like nothing better than to see a decent article on the G8 which we could featurise and put on the front page. How's that for a lack of support?

Care to write something substantial to test your theory and see if we support the anti G8 efforts by publishing it on our front page instead of making false and divisive remarks??

by JoeMc Tue Jun 04, 2013 16:46

I don't think you'd have much trouble finding enough material for a feature on G8 amongst the various threads if it was the case that you would "like nothing better than to see a decent article on the G8", Wageslave .But thanks for the belated feature offer all the same, I'll mention it to some of the Dublin organizers . (You should try to relate your comments in some way to the thread topic btw. I noted indymedia ireland's failure to featurise G8 mobilizations in relation to the news blackout in Turkey .)

Rte reports that over 240,000 public sector workers in Turkey are staging a 36-hour strike.
in response to what union leaders have called "state terror" against demonstrators. http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0604/454380-turkey-protest/

Antalya Metropolitan Municipality refused to provide water for police riot control vehicles. The municipality, led by the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) Mayor Mustafa Akaydın, refused to allow police to tap into the water tanks belonging to firefighters to use on protesters.

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/antalya-municipality-r...itter

by x Tue Jun 04, 2013 16:54

All you have to do to get something put up as a feature is write an original article - with content, rather than just links and some embedded images - and it'll get put on the front of the site. There isnt exactly a flood of decent reading material coming in.

by Turing Wed Jun 05, 2013 11:33

comes around.

by Turing Wed Jun 05, 2013 11:47

Turkish protesters attack FSA HQ in Turkey and burn the french mandate flag!!

by joe mc Wed Jun 05, 2013 12:40

Woman in Red Dress Turkey 2013

this image of a woman in a red dress being pepper sprayed by police in Turkey has become a symbol of the “Occupy Gezi” protests.
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/turkey-p....html

Woman in Red Dress , Russia 1917

http://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2012/11/king-n29.html?v...print

by T Thu Jun 06, 2013 00:08

Live updates are on the twitter link below

by T Fri Jun 07, 2013 00:45

This is taken from a report posted at: http://cryptome.org/2013/06/turkey-situation.htm

Irfan Erdogan, erdogan.irfan[at]gmail.com, http://irfanerdogan.com/

I am writing this to inform you that people in over 65 cities of 81 in Turkey are demonstrating against the reactionary and oppressive regime of Tayyip Erdogan and his party. We have demonstrations even in the most reactionary cities in Turkey. People in every neighborhood in the cities are on the street. Police throw gas bombs at demonstrators, beat and arrest people. It is not like in the late 1960s, because people did not care about us much then. We students were demonstrating for independence and socialism then. Now everybody is on the street. Nobody cheered when we were demonstrating in the late 60s in Turkey. Now people are cheering and supporting the demonstrators. Today we have more people on the street in my neighborhood in Ankara than yesterday. Police are shooting gas bombs inside the houses because people are providing shelter for demonstrators who are escaping from gas and police beatings. Youngsters and people from every walk of life are on the street and want the Erdogan government to resign. Erdogan uses the classic rhetoric about demonstrators and he threatens them by saying that he can send one million supporters to the street (he means, to smash the demonstrations). He says: "I keep 50 percent of the population at home" (he means that he can use 50 percent of people who support him against the other people). His mindset and approach reminds me of Jay Gould who said once that he is not worried about demonstrations and labor strikes, because he can hire one-half of the working class to kill the other half. For a lot of people, Erdogan is a reactionary dictator. In Turkey people are scared to say something against Erdogan. Television did not provide any news about the demonstrations except the television stations of the major opposition party and Turkish Labor party television, because mainstream media either support the administration or are scared of Erdogan’s rage/wrath. People in Istanbul walked in front of the major television stations and announced that if they do not feature them in the news they will occupy the TV station. Then, TV stations started reporting, but in a highly distorted manner. After this incident, very few media personnel resigned from their posts in the TV channel. Erdogan scolded the Reuters journalist who dared to ask him a question that he did not like. The Internet is used for the most effective channel of communication and organization of the protests by everybody. Erdogan expressed his utmost anger against Twitter and social media. Everybody uses their mobile phone for communication and recording the events and putting/disseminating them on the Internet. Mainstream media started lying as usual. Two main labor unions in Turkey run by those who ask some meaningless concessions from the government try to stop workers to demonstrate, but workers are on the street, too. Demonstrations are rapidly spreading all over the country. Soon, I know, religious reactionaries (not all religious people are reactionary) will attack demonstrators. There is a high probability that we will witness a domestic/civil war in Turkey. ....

Full text at link

by Crazy cat Tue Jun 11, 2013 12:29

Here is a report on the events until about the 6th of June.

Don't worry, it's in English, shame she hasn't got round to putting up the translation yet

http://www.baskahaber.org/2013/06/bir-gezi-park-direnis....html