Above: Zed Books Facebook page today. The walled gardens of social media portals increasingly have the capacity to actively shape and create our reality. But what if the subject matter that we share is not to the taste of our techno-utopian masters? Zed Books, the well known and respected publishing house, has just had its Facebook page removed. In a statement released today, they point that this may be in relation to a … Read More
The Essential Protestor’s Survival Kit
Nevin Oztop of KAOS GL – Turkey’s magazine for the LGBT community – gave us the run down on what you need to survive Turkey’s street protests. 1: Anti-acid, milk and lemon are useful for burns on skin. 2: Baby Shampoo is also good for washing out your eyes (by the way, contrary to how they advertise it, I experienced it myself that baby shampoo does burn your eyes … Read More
Kaos on the Streets
During her recent visit to Ireland to mark pride celebrations, we managed to catch up over a beer with Nevin Öztop. She’s the editor-in-chief of Koas GL, the magazine for Turkey’s LGBT representative organisation and we thought we’d corner her for a few insights into life as an activist during the recent and ongoing street protests in her homeland. Firstly perhaps you could tell us how quickly you adapted to … Read More
A Summer Holiday
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: Sixth Death as Struggle Renews
On Monday the mass protest movement in Turkey was given another martyr. 22-year-old Ahmet Atakan died in a confrontation with police in the Armutlu district of Antakya in the southern Hatay province. Protestors and witnesses say he died after being shot in the head with a gas canister. The local governor’s office and state TV deny this, saying he fell from a building. Selim Matkap, head of Hatay’s chamber of … Read More
Standing Man
This image has sparked another surreal turn in the ongoing protests in Turkey. The man stood in the middle of Taksim Square facing the Ataturk building and remained there without moving for six hours, so far. The image spread across Turkey and then internationally and now similar silent, standing protestors have joined him. Police have mobilised TOMA water cannon vehicles and it is feared this symbolic gesture is about to … Read More
They Came In Their Thousands: A Quick Round Up From Taksim
After more than a week of absence police arrived at Taksim Square this morning shortly after 7am local. This offensive prompted a day of battles in central Istanbul, which continues as midnight approaches. Reuben & Gielty filed this dispatch using a phone. They came in large numbers – probably more than a thousand in the morning, definitely more than that by afternoon. Their stated objective, endorsed by the Prime Minister, was to retake the square … Read More
New video emerges of Turkish protestor shot dead by Police in Ankara
New video has emerged showing the moment when activist Ethem Sarısülük was fatally shot by Police in Ankara on June 1st. The 27 yr old was hit with a shot to the head when one policeman fired a handgun first into the air. At the 4 second mark just before the policeman turns to run his gun appears to drop to horizontal and simultaneously the victim collapses. Ethem … Read More
Battle for the Banliyö
The explosions of flash-bangs echo around concrete towers of flats. Police fire tear gas and water cannon into crowds. The crowds reply with rocks and molotov cocktails. Plumes of smoke rise from bonfires as young men march with shields to the barricades. Saturday night in Gazi Mahellesi couldn’t feel farther from the festive atmosphere of Gezi Park. Reuben & Gielty investigate: This suburb in the north of Istanbul has seen … Read More
Striving For The Forbidden: The Turkish Uprising and The Unions.
Tuesday June 4th saw the first organised union participation in the Taksim Uprising. What had been scheduled as a strike against neoliberal reforms by teachers’ union Egitim Sen before the mass protests became a two day general strike against state violence by two major confederations. Our journos on the ground, Reuben and Gielty, filed this earlier today. The largest union mobilisations came in Taksim Square, Istanbul and the capital Ankara. They were … Read More
- Page 1 of 2
- 1
- 2