Aus aktuellem Anlass möchte ich hier einen Sonderbeitrag leisten. Ein mehr oder weniger kritischer Blick auf Istanbul bzw. auf den Stadtteil Tarlabaşı war ja bereits Thema in diesem Blog. Tarlabaşı grenzt an einer Ecke unmittelbar an den Taksim Platz, also in der Gegend in Istanbul, in der sich derzeit die Unruhen zentrieren. Nun sind die Medien gerade voll mit Nachrichten von den Unruhen. Die Bilder, die auf occupygezipics.tumblr.com zu sehen sind, sind erschreckend. Auf Twitter sind z.B. die Hashtags #occupygezi, #occupytaksim oder #occupyistanbul sehr aufschlussreich und geben Einblick in die Szenen, die sich dort abspielen.
https://twitter.com/ReutersWorld/status/340475620226134017/
Es gibt aber widersprüchliche Nachrichten, insbesondere über die Hintergründe und über die Anzahl der Toten und Verletzten. Eine Freundin aus Istanbul schickte am frühen Freitag Abend eine Nachricht an ihre ausländischen Kontakte und Freunde in der sie uns bat, gerade die inoffiziellen Nachrichten zu verbreiten:
„Please share the facts about whats goin on in Istanbul Taksim Gezi Square right now. Revolution seems to be coming! Thousands of people are clashing the police and government and there is violence like never before! We try to spread this as much as possible through social media, before they cut our access to it. What is shown in mainstream media looks much better then whats really going on, please be aware of that and be our voice out there. Support!“
Ich hatte gestern Nacht dann noch einen längeren Chat mit ihr und ich möchte sie hier kurz zitieren um einen Eindruck zu vermitteln:
[…]Sie: „there is already two people reported dead today. a girl was crashed under the buldozer! i am horryfied. these are scenes from a war and nothing less“
[…]Ich: „And what’s the story? Is it only about 600 trees and alcohol prohibition?“
Sie: „ofcourse not anymore. it was about the trees first but now it is the absolute explosion moment from all the things we have been holding inside. so many things, cant really tell them one by one right now, but it even goes to Tarlabaşı, all sorts of subjects where the people are against but the gov do their job no matter what. this has been happening sooooo fucking much lately on any kind of matter, that we have all been filled up to top. no rights, no life standards, no one listens to us, no one cares, the gov is against their people. thats it. and they do all sorts of violence. this is not the first gas thing… every second day lately, we inhale tear gas just by coincidence, like walking on the street, or at your homes balcony, and for no fucking reason.“
[…]
Das war gestern Nacht. Wie es jetzt bei ihr aussieht, kann ich nur vermuten. Mache mir etwas Sorgen.
Update 01.06.2013, 15:50 Uhr
Sie: right now people are called to write their blood types on their arms. Think about the violence!
Update 03.06.2013, 10:50 Uhr
Eine weitere Freundin berichtet aus Ankara:
The news from Ankara from my eyes: Police’s excessive use of power lasted till the early morning today. There are many wounded people but the saddest of all; there are many dead people. One was shot, one was ran over by a car, one was beaten to death by the police and left in the dumpster, one had a heart attack, and so on… The police is not backing down until they kill more of us i believe, because there is no other explanation i can think of for all these violence! This is not a political comment not a statement. I am just telling you guys what i saw. This morning, I saw that the police have created a mess with all their garbage whereas the protesters clean up after all the attacks. There was still pepper gas in the air and i had some in my lungs, again! Our Prime Minister is scheduled to have a little business trip in Tunisia, and in Morocco today. And he will be back on Thursday, so the protests will go on at least for 4 more days until he gets back and makes the police back down! The police is violent, but the people are going to protest whatever it takes. We are becoming more powerful each day. And pepper gas doesn’t kill you, but the police might! So look out!
Update 03.06.2013, 11:30 Uhr
Weiterer Bericht aus Istanbul:
Sie: Last night I was in the middle of the clashes in Besiktas. I was gassed twice (with a gas that is NOT pepper gas), and barely avoided cops beating people with batons. I believe this is standing somewhere close to a war. Last night I kind of understood what a war might be like, when we hid in a building silently, shutting down the lights, trying to avoid the police figure out we’re there and throw a gas bomb inside. FYI, they are trying to pull us into an inner war right now. There are provocators everywhere. The PM is lying and threatening people on Tv. TV and press lie so disregardfully. Things are not well here. Thank you for following. You guys should know the process, in case it becomes something worse.
Ich: Thanks for sharing and keeping our eyes open! Regarding the gas: I read on reddit that they use „Agent Orange“!?
Sie: they said its agent orange. then they said cs gas, i dont know really. but it burns the skin too.
Update 03.06.2013, 15:35 Uhr
Sie: A very good (yet uncomplete) analysis on the background of the happenings in Turkey, from NasrTV: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=10200554970690323
Sie: We are trying to understand what will the next step be. As an apolitically raised generation, we are horribly ignorant about what we need to do now. We’ve been fighting against the police on the streets the last whole week. But now it is becoming a more strategic war, and regarding the fact that the government will not fall, we need to figure out a clever strategic way out of this violence and with concrete outcomes. If you have any experience or knowledge from your own countries‘ pasts, about the intro-development-result processes of public resistance please share. I was thinking about the Prague Spring, and figured maybe you would have some useful background knowledge on this. Thank you.
Ich habe selbst keine Erfahrung mit Revolutionen. Ich hoffe es gibt Leute, die ggf. helfen können oder entsprechende Leute kennen. Bitte schreibt mir, kommentiert. Ich leite die Infos gerne weiter nach Istanbul.
Update 03.06.2013, 23:00 Uhr
Zwischendurch mal ein (glaubhafter) Bericht über die Rolle der Medien in der Türkei. Die SZ schreibt in ihrem Text „Die Ersten, die es verschweigen“ über die Türkischen Medien, die nicht über die Proteste im eignen Land berichten. Genau das höre ich ja auch aus der Türkei und ich höre es deshalb, weil sich die Leute über die Sozialen Netzwerke verbinden und darüber die Informationen in alle Welt tragen. Allerdings verbreiten sich so auch Gerüchte und ungeprüfte Informationen, was man diesem Blogpost natürlich auch vorwerfen kann, denn er basiert auf Informationen, die jemand in Istanbul ins Facebook getippt hat. Z.B. wird der Einsatz von „Agent Orange“ von der SZ zum Gerücht erklärt. Gut möglich, denn es wurde auch von orange gefärbten CS-Gas gesprochen in einem Chat in einer Facebook Gruppe. Auf der anderen Seite wird inoffiziell von viel brutalerer Gewalt und von einer größeren Zahl von Toten gesprochen und auch erschreckend glaubhaft mit Bildern und Videos belegt.
Es ist in dem Wirrwar sicherlich schwierig an wirklich valide Informationen zu kommen. Jede Seite verfolg mit ihrer Informationspolitik natürlich ihre Ziele. Möchte die Regierung am besten nix von den Protesten in den Medien sehen, so kann es den Demonstranten medial nicht brutal genug sein, schon der Aufmerksamkeit wegen. Nichtsdestrotrotz läuft in dem Land massiv was verkehrt und meine Sympathien sind auf der Seite der Demonstranten, und das nicht nur weil Freunde von mir darunter sind.
Update 07.06.2013, 18:45 Uhr
Nachricht aus Istanbul
Sie: The last 3 days passed in a peaceful atmosphere here in Taksim Gezi Park. So much that, people are giving free hugs to each other, all food is free thanks to supporters, and all sorts of people are sleeping next to each other in tents, keeping guard of the park.
Until last night, when „Erdo-gone“ came back from his trip to North Africa, crowds kept up with their protest silently. Last night the PM gave a very provocative and discriminatory speech at the airport, where his base partisans were called on duty to welcome him at his arrival. Along his harsh speech, the crowds shouted things like ‚give us a sign and we’ll go crash Taksim‘. The speech gave most of us the impression of him trying to push the country into an inner war. We’ll see the results of his speech soon, nevertheless it is for sure that the guy is not stepping back, but instead pushing people of the country to two edges in a very threatening way.
Update 11.06.2013, 12:30 Uhr
Der Taksim-Platz wird von der Polizei mit schwerem Gerät geräumt.
Ich:Is the Taksim Square now lost?
Sie:I don’t think so, the park is still filled with people, they cleaned the square from flags belonging to different political groups this morning. They didnt enter the park. We’ll see what happens tonight..
Update 12.06.2013, 12:30 Uhr
Sie: Its getting wilder here, even more than the first 4 days. I am starting to wonder if any of the countries in the world will do anything about this, as normally its quiet often to interfere in a country’s inner matters. It is hard to put in words, cuz our logic is too narrow to comprehend this course action on us. always waiting for worse.
and yes the square is lost now. but we keep resisting nearby.
What You Can Do NOW to Stop the Abuse of Protestors in Turkey
Update 13.06.2013, 18:00 Uhr
Es ist noch lange nicht vorbei in Istanbul.
Sie: Thank you all of you for following and being sensitive about this subject. Through the clear threats and signals given from the gov. yesterday and today; we are expecting the biggest attack tonight. It is very difficult to avoid disinformation. Please stay on track.
Update 14.06.2013, 18:30 Uhr
Solidarität im Gize Park
Sie: No attack happened last night. Sorry for the misinformation. on wednesday the PM said „this will be over in 24 hrs.“ then yesterday again he said „this will be over in 24 hrs“. but nothing happened. today again there are claims. so we’re waiting.
Meanwhile when there is no violence, the park and around is amazingly beautiful so that it gives goosebumps. the other night people brought a grand piano, from a hotel which has served as infirmary during tuesday night’s attack. So last night, the view was like this: There is the Taksim Square, a pianist playing in the middle of it, hundreds of people sitting around him with their gas masks in their hands and hard hats on their heads listening to him playing. Since the mayor called out to the parents to come pick their children from the park to save their lives (!); the mothers were out there too. But instead of saving their kids, they made a human chain to protect the police from stones being thrown at by the ‚provocators‘. This way the police would have no cause to attack back (cuz they always use the stones as an excuse to attack). The Gezi Park is an amazing place right now, today people held open simultaneous forums on 7 different spots in the park. People took the word one by one and talked out their thoughts and suggestions through megaphones. Meanwhile assigned people were taking notes. People were listening to them and applauding. Here is the video of the piano and a pic of the mothers from last night.
Update 16.06.2013, 17:40 Uhr
Nach der gewaltsamen Räumung in Istanbul
Sie: Tonight friends and I were going to the park to see people evacuating the park on their own will, respecting the decisions that came out of yesterday’s open forums. About 5 min before we left home, police attacked the park. Right now we are following it at home on live streams and tv. I copy a friends text to tell about the situation.
LIVE FROM ISTANBUL: Today, following Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s extremely sectarian, separatist, and fictious speech in Ankara, around 9 PM, the Turkish police began to attack thousands of people who were at the Gezi Park and Taksim square, having dinner. There are kids under 4-5 years old, mothers, and old people among those who were under gas and pressurised water attack. According to reports, police doesn’t allow journalists to report or to take pictures from Gezi Park. They are also attacking with pressurised water business such as famous Divan Hotel that opened its doors to protestors running away from brutality. People are saying there are thousands of wounded inside of the hotel. People formed a human chain in front of the hotel to prevent police to attack. Another report says that people cannot leave the hotel because police is arresting whoever leaves. There are also unconfirmed reports that police shut down the metro and boats between Asia and Europe to stop people coming and joining the rest. Another report says that there is a jammer in the area to prevent TV stations‘ broadcast. There are hundreds of wounded. There are a lot of missing kids, or kids who are separated from their families. Protestors are fighting with police in Sıraselviler, Cihangir, Harbiye, and most likely around Dolmabahçe and Maçka. People call it a total brutality, a real savagery that is going on tonight. What we are seeing an ugly war where only one side have weapons.
AN EYEWITNESS ACCOUNT FROM THE DARKEST NIGHT OF TURKEY! PLEASE COPY AND PASTE, DONT SHARE, DONT REVEAL MY NAME
Thank you, I am fine, so are my friends, at least the ones I could reach. Istanbul is living a hell. They are trying to kill the city, the voice of its people. The situation is terrible. The police attacked the part while it was full of thousands of people, including hundreds of small children, old people, disabled and also helpless animals. People were gassed mercilessly. Hundreds of us took refuge to Divan Hotel, which has always opened its doors to protesters. It was hell. Gas entered the hotel together with the protesters. They told us to go to the conference rooms downstairs. There were many children and many hurt people. It was terrible. Like scenes from a gas chamber, a horror film. It was hard to breath, our skin hurt, it was very hot, we sweat like crazy, people cried, fainted, threw up, begged for help… After about an hour and a half, they told us it was safe to flee towards Harbiye. We crossed hundreds of policemen and many armed vehicles in order to reach Nisantasi. The people had taken to the streets to protect this barbarity, shouting and banging pots. Two of my aunts (my friend’s aunts) were on the street, soaked, an armed vehicle had thrown water on them, they are in their late 60s and they were almost thrown to the wall. As for the event I mentioned the other day, Kizilay, the Turkish Red Crescent, did indeed refuse to transport hurt people, and a very reliable source (doctor) narrated me the event. The doctors in a small private hospital had to pay a private company to transport a seriously injured person who in the end survived. It’s a scandal. We are living in a police state. The police arrested 49 lawyers invading the Palace of Justice the other day. Now they are trying to arrest every single doctor and nurse who aids the injured protestors. The government and the governor of Istanbul still talk of „marginal groups“. The mask of democracy and the rule of law have fallen in this country. Pray for us and spread the news.
Interessanterweise kam dann aus Istanbul der Hinweis auf eine untertitelte Version des ZDF heute journals vom 15.06. Offenbar spiegelt die Berichterstattung des ZDF ganz gut das wider, was die Leute in Istanbul gerade erleben.
Update 03.07.2013, 22:00 Uhr
Finales Update aus Istanbul
Sie: Sorry I didn’t write earlier. I guess my panic rythm declined as did the tension here. Obviously the last 10 days, the resistance has changed its shape. They „cleaned the Gezi Park from us“ ten days ago, since then police didnt leave the Taksim square. Still there are water cannons and loads of police literally ‚living‘ there. It seems now its their turn to enjoy the park, since they spend all day there under the trees. The tension went down mostly. However still there are some protests going on and attacks until couple of days ago to Ankara and Izmir especially. A few days ago we gathered to protest the police, who was set free after shooting a protester with real bullet on his head and causing him dead. Also earlier people gathered with cloves as a memoriam to that protestor, but they were attacked again. I wasnt there that day. On the other hand, last sunday was the pride parade, the yearly walk of LGBT people. It was certainly the most fun protest of the last month, and with much bigger participation then earlier years. So we keep walking for one reason or not.
As for what the resistance has become… Since we cannot enter Gezi Park anymore, we are now gathering in every other park of the city… Every night, people gather at parks, to express their ideas on free speech forums. Few days of gathering and some working groups has been formed. Several different groups work to find solutions to the problems that have been spoken out since the beginning of the process. So the resistance continues on a more theoretical basis, with sustainable ‚projects‘. Every so often, few radicals attack people in the parks and injure them. However this doesn’t frighten anyone anymore.
As another way of pursuing the resistance, we are trying to apply an economic boycott on the gov. in different ways. Obviously, not everyone in the city has left the malls all of sudden; but at least we are acting way more concsiously on how we live.
Meanwhile the gov is working too, facing us with new laws that will cause even more environmental and historical damage. And surely a whichhunting period is ahead of us, through social media mostly. Nobody knows exactly what will happen, but we’ll see.
Long story for short, this summer seems to be spent at the parks, talking, helping, growing conciously; happier, more satisfied and more organic, and away from fear, like in our childhood Personnaly, I feel much more satisfied with my life then I’ve been in a long while. Even though we have witnessed loads of violence, it remains a hopeful feeling. I hope the resistance will go on this way, but even if someday soon people will go back to their normal daily lives, we all know that this generation will never be the same again.
Kisses for now. And thank you all for staying with us during this hard month.
Ich: Thanks a lot for this message! We all saw what happened in Istanbul and Turkey. This County is not the same anymore and what you did is already history!
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