Turkish protesters demand their rights
CITIZENSHIP IS composed of both legal status and the ability to exercise rights and freedoms. Until the Gezi Park protests, Turkish people could only have legal status as citizens of Turkey. The actual practice of citizenship rights has been limited by the police and the Islamist government in the past 11 years.
The Gezi Park protests in Istanbul began when the Justice and Development Party (AKP) decided to demolish the 75-year-old park and build a shopping mall in its place instead. Gezi Park is located in one of the major city centers in Istanbul--Taksim. Taksim has the biggest town square in Istanbul, which is historically significant.
What tried citizens' patience is the government's recent decisions regarding Taksim, including not allowing workers to celebrate May 1, International Worker's Day, in Taksim Square this year; demolishing a historic theater despite sporadic protests; and trying to change the historic landscape into a giant shopping mall.
Moreover, this Islamist government is introducing limitations on alcohol consumption and previously tried to ban abortion in Turkey. Thus, there have been ongoing concerns by the secularists about the government's motives and attitudes towards lifestyles that do not resemble theirs.
On May 31, concerned citizens mobilized and started a sit-in at Taksim Square, located next to the Gezi Park. Police denied their right to protest, and sprayed water and tear gas on peaceful protesters. People's main objective was to protect the last green space left in the city center.
However, what has grown out of this initial protest is amazing. After the police brutality, more people joined in in solidarity with the protesters, and what began as a mobilization to protect our green spaces turned into a fight to protect our freedoms against government policies. Demonstrations spread across Turkey and are still ongoing with the motto: "In solidarity with Gezi Park."
Demonstrators, mostly university students, camp day and night at the park, clean it out and the surrounding areas, receive free food and drink daily from volunteers, and have even created their own library!
Gezi Park resembles the Occupy Wall Street movement with its resilience, passion and creativity. Although the police attacked the protesters and violence erupted between the police and some protesters with some unfortunate consequences, after days of struggle, peaceful protesters at the park still insist on staying there and practicing their democratic citizenship rights. These people are not united by party affiliation, ethnicity or class, but are united by their reaction to the government, which is growing more and more repressive by the day.
These concerned citizens are also conscious about the neoliberal policies of the AKP government that privatizes national parks and lands and sells government companies to foreign corporations. In the past couple of years, we have also witnessed students, journalists, academics and military personnel being imprisoned for criticizing the government.
The one important difference between the Arab Spring and Gezi Park demonstrations is that Turkish citizens are not calling on the army to come to the aid of people and topple the prime minister. On the contrary, there is no reference to the army in the demonstrations, which indicates the true democratic nature of the protests and the protesters. I think this historic event shows us that the secular regime in Turkey--despite its shortcomings--raised a society that rely on itself to change the system, instead on relying on a military coup or a political leader.
In this regard, it is a mass movement composed of diverse people with diverse ideologies, but who are united in their frustration with the government and their desire to protect their ways of life and protect their city.
Bihter Tomen, Istanbul, Turkey
