A stunning 90-second glimpse into the protests in Turkey

[Earth_First]

http://vimeo.com/67432788

[malaise]

1. Turkey is in the middle of the Western created mess

It's going to be a long hot summer of 'occupy'.

[Warpy]

2. This whole thing started over turning a public park into a shopping center

which means Erdogan is doing the great switcheroo of selling property owned by the commons off to corporate cronies, thus robbing the commons and enriching the rich and corporate.

What started as protests over Gezi Park are now general protests against the schmuck Erdogan and his attitude that the commons were too stupid to realize he was robbing them blind. He's been governing like a dictator and the people have finally noticed.

Changes need to be made there and here that would prevent selling off the wealth of the commons, whether it's public spaces or public utilities.

[malaise]

3. Neo-liberal bullshit has been shoved at all on the planet

Bet the scumbags sold it to themselves

[aquart]

16. Why is it called "neo-liberal"?

What's liberal about it?

[riderinthestorm]

7. No,these protests are really about Erdogan being an Islamist + the growing sectarian tensions in the

ME as a result of the Arab Spring (cough - a misnomer for an eruption in centuries long sectarian feuds).

In Turkey, the secular v the religious whackjobs has been repressed for a few decades but that split has been simmering for a long while underground, similar to Syria, Egypt, Tunisia, Libya etc. Add onto that the historic Sunni/Shia divide and the region seems doomed to undergo another hideous religious schismatic convulsion of violence.

I believe Turkey's recent violence is just more spill-over from the region's recent wars @ ancient issues.

[MADem]

10. Well, if things get too awful, the Turks will wake up one morning to a friendly general

on the television, telling them a course correction is in order and the loyal military servants of the Turkish people will be overseeing things until it is all sorted out...

It's happened before....

[cascadiance]

12. There's been a wave of more leftist violence lately... Bombing of American embassy wasn't Islamist.

And of course I mean extreme leftist for that kind of violence of the bombing of course. It looks like many here are out in the streets out of frustration and trying to demonstrate peacefully, but perhaps similar frustrations are a part of both.

I do know what you are saying about the split between religious and more secular groups favoring the military and a more Ataturk style of regime.

I fear that we may be returning to the times of the late 60's and early 70's where there was a lot of spillover from the Red Brigade activities in Europe in Turkey as well. I was living there as a kid and part of this is pretty personal for me, as I experienced having to go home and hide early when there was martial law, etc. and bombings around there then too.

Most personal for me was that one of my favorite teachers then in 7th grade had a boyfriend (an American airmen) who was kidnapped along with three other American airmen, and were very fortunate by happenstance to escape alive. Their captors didn't and got executed.

This Rand report describes in detail the timeline and their experiences that reads almost like a spy novel.

http://www.rand.org/content/dam/rand/pubs/reports/2007/R2105.pdf

Had he been killed and my teacher left teaching then with that outcome, I might never have been as motivated to excel in math and sciences like I did and pursue the career I did which unfortunately was put on hold again on Friday when my contract was ended early. It's been frustrating times lately, and seeing this happen in Turkey, where I lived a good portion of my young life makes me sad and hoping that it doesn't spiral out of control.

Speaking of development in Turkey, the big Atakule Tower shown here...



... was built on the same grounds where the American Officer's Club used to be when I lived there an wasn't too far from where I lived then. The American Officer's Club was also the target of bombings many years back too before it was taken down. I'm told that Ankara and many places near where I used to live are quite different than when I was there then and quite built up. I guess there's quite a drive to do that everywhere, but it seems like the government needs to take a step back and understand when they are stepping more on the people's sacred spaces when doing so.

If Europe and austerity along with other unrest around there, Greece, and Cyprus, etc. don't settle down, I have a feeling that things will just get worse in Turkey as well. I wonder if Turkey is now thankful that they haven't entered in the EU at the moment.

[L0oniX]

15. ^^^^^^^^^^^^ this ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

[HiPointDem]

9. yep, he's a neolib

[PDJane]

4. The police brutality is disgusting.

The tear gas cannisters, made in USA, litter the ground all over the place. They fired protesters tents early in the morning. They were firing tear gas cannisters at protesters heads, and they used so much of the stuff that cops were looking through the litter trying to find unused ones. They were also using pepper spray, and aiming it at people's faces.

There are pictures here:

http://www.rightnow.io/breaking-news/turkey_bn_1369752659185.html?fb_action_ids=10151462760495849&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210151462760495849%22%3A168643149977776%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210151462760495849%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map

There are lots of dupes and some are really violent. You have been warned.

[PDJane]

5. Police are using live ammunition; have killed at least one protester, place is a bloodbath.

http://www.rightnow.io/breaking-news/ankara-turkey_bn_1370018978573.html

[eissa]

17. Made in the USA

I've seen several posts referencing the "made in the USA" stamp on these weapons, almost implying that the US is somehow responsible for the actions of the Turkish government. First off, I'm just glad we're making something here. Secondly, I doubt very much that Turkey was forced to buy those weapons from us, nor were they instructed by us to open fire on protestors. This is ALL on Erdogan's head.

Btw, I find this whole thing absolutely hilarious. That Turkey can pontificate on human rights (Turkey and human rights are pretty much an oxymoron), and condemn the actions of neighboring governments for doing exactly the same thing they are -- priceless.

[quinnox]

6. why are they fucking rebelling

I thought Turkey was supposed to be a westernized and stable place.

[PDJane]

8. They were peaceful protesters, objecting to Erdogan selling the last remaining green space

to his buddies for a shopping mall.

When the police began shooting, the thing got wider and wider; it is westernized, and as such the people expect to make a living and have their government serve the people. If this kind of thing erupted in high park and police started using their pistols with live ammo, thousands of tear gas cannisters, spraying people in the face with pepper spray.......it would get out of hand.

[aquart]

11. Did I really hear NBC7 in San Diego say AGENT ORANGE?

I'd just woken up. NBC7 said it was sprayed on Turkish protestors. Internet says it's more likely something called "skunk"?

Would it be wrong to assume Turkey isn't using chemical weapons? What causes you to throw up immediately?

[PDJane]

13. They said it, but it's stuff that is called orange smoke on the cannister.

They have been using live bullets, however. Go here:

http://www.rightnow.io/timeline_4.html

Scroll down the page, you'll see a pic of the canister itself, along with the evidence that they were using live bullets.

[L0oniX]

14. I've been reassured that this will not blow up to a full scale revolution by...

idiots.