From everything I have read in this thread and seen elsewhere, I am thoroughly impressed with the self discipline of the Turkish protestors. I have seen hundreds of photographs of the medical care, food, and clothing that has been provided by the people to each other for free. I have seen how clean the protestors have been keeping the areas in which they occupy (minus the graffiti). I also saw multiple pictures of protestors carrying an injured police officer to safety. I have doubts that this kind of discipline could be attained in the U.S. in the same situation. I have a lot of respect for the Turkish people and I truly hope they stay strong and force a change in their country for the better.

 

This sums it up - sorta:

25 Examples Of The Best Street Humour From Istanbul, Gezi Park (#occupygezi) Protests

 

Cleanup crew in the morning at Gezi Park

 

Restored bus stop in Taksim (courtesy of protesters)

 

Please take a moment to watch this...

I would strongly suggest pausing the video to check out individual frames.

PROTESTS IN TURKEY - POLICE BRUTALITY - CNN iReport

 

I'm a little stunned... I've seen more of the news in the last week than I have in months, and haven't seen any mention of this stuff at all...

 

Thank you Hakan for your very informative posts..

Some good reading here as well: http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/06/op...anted=all&_r=0

and more examples of humor: BBC News - Will Istanbul's protesters have the last laugh?

 

Hakan, I've been following your posts and links and passing them on to others through email. I am concerned for your safety and the well-being of your country. Turkey has been a rare bastion of elected secular government in a region where religious autocracies are the norm. Turkey has also been a strong regional ally of the U.S. for many years and has always been portrayed as a country that embraces modernism and the separation of personal religious thought from government policy.

Our thoughts are with you, and dare I say it... so are my prayers. Be safe.

 

Coverage on Vice: Istanbul Rising | VICE United States

 

Civil Disobedience on a Turkish Game Show - NYTimes.com

 

Sorry I haven't posted in a while...
But,

NEWSFLASH

Mothers gather in Taksim Square, form a human chain around the protesters.
Cops are helpless.

 

How many days has this been officially going on now? Has the PM even started to deal with the problems or is he still taking the hard line and calling the millions of protesters terrorists or a nuisance?

 

This is crazyness. Sucks the media/social media has kinda died down in regards to this. I'm sure the whole NSA thing kinda took some wind away from the US attention of it.

 

Turkey protest:



THEY TOOK OUR PARKZ!

 

Chapullin' with some Chapulcu:

 

************* are attacking civilians all over..

Women, children, the elderly, EU parliament members, everyone is under attack.

They are gassing hotels that are converted into infirmaries.
*********** drove a water cannon into a hospital and shot the emergency room.

They have added a solvent in the water cannons, causes MASSIVE burns.

Military police has joined the riot police, they are attacking everywhere.

We were on the freeway, trying to march into Taksim, we got tear gassed big time.
That **** is like bunt antifreeze, it consumes you, and you want to die when it hits you.
I made it out and made my way back home.

No one is sleeping in Turkey tonight.

This is bad, I really don't know how it can get worse.

I smell tear gas in my own breath every time I exhale.

 

Internet connection is very hit and miss over here now.

 

So you're saying that the government of Turkey is using chemical weapons against you???

Interesting...I wonder what our administration would say about that after having just quietly declared war on Syria for the same...

 

Thanks for all the updates Hakan. Got an extra room here. I've been OC'd and tazed + ect while in the service. I can try to relate, but probably not as close to as horrible as I'd like to think it is.

 

Fuuuuuck....