Tear gas. Sirens. Stinging, streaming eyes see paramilitary police with automatic weapons chase gas-masked protesters on wet streets. Burning skin. Makeshift medical centres, injured and bloodied bodies. I hadn’t intended it to be like that. I travelled to Istanbul on May 29th for a holiday. The first day panned out as expected – kebaps, sun in Gulhane Park, a visit to Dolmabahçe Palace. But on the morning of the second … Read More
Turkish Protests Escalate: A day of action begins
The Erdoğan government’s dictatorial approach to town planning has awakened a sleeping giant. In the space of 24 hours a simple protest over a park’s future has become a nationwide rebellion against authoritarian government, violent police and creeping Islamisation of a famously secular society. rabble’s men on the ground, Reuben and Gielty, report. Yesterday saw one of the biggest protests in Istanbul’s history. At 1pm the commercial centre of the cosmopolitan … Read More
Irish Independent censors video of Portmarnock ‘riot’.
The Irish Independent has published amateur footage of the riotous scenes from Portmarnock beach yesterday but edited the footage to remove clips of Gardaí watching and recording the violence without acting even when a young girl appeared to be seriously injured. UPDATE: The Independent has removed the page and video While the Gardaí may have been waiting for back-up, the Garda Helicopter and Public Order unit for example, they may … Read More
A Tale From The Taksim Anti-Mall Mobilisations
Bellowing foggy clouds of tear gas choked the early Istanbul morning of the 30th of May, as police clad in paramilitary riotgear stormed Gezi park in Taksim. Reuben & Gielty have this report from the front lines. (This article was written pseudonymously by Irish journalists Ronan Burtenshaw and Tommy Gavin because of safety concerns.) Using a signal dampener to limit internet use and accompanied by a heavily armoured “Mass Incident Intervention … Read More