“… a five-step guide to how Turks stopped worrying and learned to love tear gas. 1. Turn insults into points of pride. [...] 2. If you get slapped, turn the other cheek [...] 3. Respond to violence with humor [...] 4. Keep calm and “capul” on [...] 5. Circumvent media censorship through creativity [...]” Commentary by Ozan Varol, Assistant Professor [...] → Read the full article…
Die Hintergründe für die aktuelle Protestbewegung in der Türkei sind vielfältig. Eine Ursache liegt in einer neoliberalen Wirtschaftspolitik, die vordergründig erfolgreich ist, aber auch ihre Schattenseiten hat. Über die neue städtische Armut in der Türkei befragte der Sozialwissenschaftler Franz Seifert seine Kollegen Joost Jongerden und Murat Öztürk. 11 June 2013 Franz Seifert science.orf.at for the full article click here
“Will Erdogan be able to arrive at a sober consideration of the situation and give in to the demands of the protestors in Gezi Park, call an impartial review of police brutality and reconsider the heavy policing strategies, which have turned Turkey into a police state? If he did, he would still have a chance to enter Turkish history as [...] → Read the full article…
RedHack HalkTV Interview “Before we begin, I’d like to ask you when your penguin documentary will be on. Hello friends, comrades, the ones who defend the indivisible unity of the trees, how are you? When we hear “Gezi Park,” it represents to us how the media is censored, how auto censoring has been developed, very clearly. The fact that we [...] → Read the full article…
With revolt now spreading to a bedrock of capitalist stability, there is every indication that the global wave of 2011 is still alive. Turkey, marketed to the whole world as a neoliberal success story (and to the Muslim world as a model democracy), is now up in arms against authoritarianism and free market capitalism (or rather, its urban ramifications). With [...] → Read the full article…
Peaceful protests in cities throughout Turkey have been met with violence from police. The president of the Turkish Medical Association, Ahmet Ozdemir Aktan, calls for an end to inappropriate use of chemical agents Millions of Turkish citizens are outraged by the violent interference of the government in peaceful protests aimed at saving Istanbul’s Gezi Park.1 Within a few days this [...] → Read the full article…
This isn’t just about lipstick – if Turkey can’t reconcile secularism, Islam and democracy, there will be global repercussions. Secularism: what does it mean to the people of Turkey? Is it simply a question of whether we can buy alcohol when we please, or whether the cabin crew of Turkish airlines are allowed to wear red lipstick? It cannot simply [...] → Read the full article…
“His Biggest Challenge Is President Abdullah Gul, Not Liberals … Erdogan’s own party members sense the changing tide. Indeed, even before the protests, there was widespread uneasiness within the AKP ranks. Most AKP parliamentarians had little enthusiasm for Erdogan’s plan to change the constitution and introduce an executive presidency. His scheme would have concentrated all power into the hands of [...] → Read the full article…
(CNN) — It’s a congested, sprawling transport hub surrounded by 1950s architecture and predominantly used by commuters or tourists to cross the city of Istanbul. But proposed changes to Taksim Square have seen it become the flashpoint for protests that have swept through Turkey in the past week, leaving thousands injured and focusing the world’s attention on the government of [...] → Read the full article…
Some of the banners read “we are not a political party, we are the people”, “we claim religion without AKP, Atatürk without CHP, motherland without MHP, Kurdish rights without BDP, we are the people”. Millions are in revolt in Turkey. Although the revolt is called the Gezi Park Resistance, it is no longer about saving trees and parks from the [...] → Read the full article…