[OT] What's happening here in Turkey...

[Ender Nafi Elekçioğlu]

* This mail was posted by me last sunday but it's rejected because of length; so, trying again in 2 parts *






Dear Friends,


As I'm the one and only active LiveCode user in Turkey, I feel that the duty to inform you is on my shoulders.


I was in the very center of the protests for several days & nights, severely beaten by police and injured because of their toxic gas


and therefore I was away from the internet and forums and this user-list.


It's early in the morning here in Istanbul, I'm dead tired but I feel obliged to write these sentences.






This was the one and single biggest uprising in my country since 40 years.


A protest without a leader, without an organization, without a politic movement, without vandalism!


This was a civil protest to protect our trees {yes, just a couple of trees in a small park in the center square of Istanbul}…


The authorities decided to cut down 600 trees which are 40 to 80 years old to build a mall despite the court order not-to.


We went there and hugged the trees.


Lied under their shadows.


Read books to the police officers.


Offered them our water and snacks.


But after 3 days {on May 31st, Friday}, they {police ordered by government} decided to water cannon and pepper spray us  


and burned our tents without prior warning and without any reason!!!






Our baby children was with us; they didn't care.


We didn't throw them stones, we didn't swear or curse; they didn't care.


We were hundreds but after the incident, thousands came by to support us.


Police's reaction to that {crowd gathering to support} was brutal, absolutely brutal and merciless, all night.


But we were not alone.


Next morning {Jun 1st, Saturday}, nearly 50 thousand came from all over Istanbul.


Police's reaction got harsher, few words exist to describe their hatred to us and I'm not that good in English, sorry :/


But then, in all cities of Turkey, uprisings begun.


Police's reaction got more and more and more harsh.






I don't know how this will end up.


But, we won't leave our trees and our rights alone.


No, it's not a *Turkish Spring(!)*.


Because, this is not a political movement.


This is a total civil protest.






Yes, there are 3 or 4 cars damaged and one shop glass broken.


Cars were police vehicles left alone and the shop belonged to the mayor of city of Istanbul.


There are a couple lumpens & hooligans among us who don't belong to this community.


We tried and mostly succeed to prevent them doing such things.


I, for one, extinguished two fires and prevent a big painting getting stolen from France Consulate's outer wall.


Thus, I think I can say there wasn't any vandalism for such a big uprising spread among many cities...






The government is still stubborn and our media {all, I mean, all TV's and newspapers} is dead silent.


There were beauty pageants and *the most weird cat in the world* documentaries and cheap soap operas in the TV channels


because of their fear from government.






Please think,


what would your media's reaction if hundreds of thousands of people were attacked by police for days and nights, in Times Square?


Well, I leave it to your imagination.





* end of part 1 *

Ender Nafi
~… together, we're smarter & stronger …~