8-9 June Call for Solidarity Actions with #OccupyGezi

8-9 June Call for Solidarity Actions with #OccupyGezi 

Calling on all cities of the world! Come out this weekend and  reclaim your public spaces to show solidarity with #OccupyGezi and the  many waves of protests in Turkey!

What began as a small occupation to protect Istanbul's Gezi  Park erupted within a matter of days into massive protests that spread  like wildfire across Turkey. A key trigger was the disproportionate use  of force by the police. Just as Gezi Park crystallized the struggle over  an ever-shrinking public space hijacked by neoliberal authoritarianism,  the pepper gas that security forces doused on Istanbul literalized the  general need for breathing space - hundreds of thousands of people  walked out onto the streets in support of the Gezi Park occupation  despite a total media blackout, defying police brutality. Now we have  reclaimed not only Gezi Park but also Taksim Square, the very heart of Turkey's public sphere, where mass expressions of discontent have  repeatedly been banned, throughout the republic's history. As Taksim and  Gezi swell every night with thousands of people who come to celebrate  their solidarity, victory and  power, our resistance in other parts of Istanbul and other cities  across Turkey continues. Of one thing we are certain: Nothing will ever  be the same  again. 

 

Show your support and solidarity this weekend, 8-9 June. Reclaim Tahrir, Syntagma, Sol, Zuccotti, your local streets, squares and parks! Trust us, they belong to you.

The Portrait of Turkish Protesters: Young, Libertarian and Furious at the Prime Minister

An online survey participated by 3000 protesters reveals that the actual motive behind protests is the Prime Minister’s authoritarian attitudes.

The online survey prepared by Esra Ercan Bilgiç and Zehra Kafkaslı, academicians at Istanbul Bilgi University, reveals the profile of protesters and their demands. According to the preliminary results of the survey answered by 3000 protesters in 20 hours, protesters are not members or supporters of any political party as it was claimed by the Prime Minister Mr. Erdoğan.

39.6% of the participants are aged between 19 and 25 and 24% of them are between 26 and 30. 75.8% of the participants were actively involved in the street protests. 53.7% of them said they had never attended any mass protests before. While 70% of the protesters do not sympathize with any political parties, only 15.3% of them sympathize with a political party.

The participants were also asked which motives were effective in their taking part in the protests. They were asked to choose among the options ‘I definitely agree’, ‘I agree’, ‘I am uncertain’ and ‘I do not agree’. The ones who definitely agree that the Prime Minister’s authoritarianism were effective were in the first place with 92.4%. 91.3% of them definitely agree that disproportionate force by the police was effective. 91.1% said that violation of democratic rights led them to participate in the protests. While the silence of the media affected 84.2%, the ones who said that the cutting down of trees motivated them were 56.2%.

The majority of participants described themselves as ‘libertarian’ and they were followed by the ones who called themselves as ‘secular’.

The survey also reveals the demands of the protestors. While the 96.1% of them want respect for freedom, only 37% of them want a new political party to be established.

According to the survey, a very low rate of the participants desire a military coup. 79.5% of the participants are against a military coup.