We now have games developed for the Gezi Park events. I noticed a MMORPG project where the players play as a protester. Game is gonna be played on Google maps and you can do stuff like carrying the wounded and things like that. It's still being developed. Utopia of a Tyrant looks like an interesting game too, and it's in English I guess. I haven't played any of these games because I'm at an internet cafe right now and I don't have time to play games. (That sounded a little serious and aggressive than I have intended)
This is slowly turning into an art movement. People draw pictures, develop games and do graffiti across the country with themes of revolution, corrupt governments, and environmentalism.
Anything on the military's stance in the unrest?
Not much. Turkey has conscription so it's kinda risky for Erdoğan to go for military intervention. I don't think they'll side with cops if that happens. The only thing I saw was a group of soldiers in Hakkari holding a paper that says "Resist, Gezi Park, Hakkari soldiers are with you". Also, one time the police tried to enter a military hospital with a police truck because it was a shortcut or something. Soldiers denied them access and the police had to leave the area. One of the cops said "We will throw gas bombs next time" and a soldier replied with "Go ahead and throw them. We will throw something else." Heh, imagine cops and soldiers fighting against each other with gas and frag grenades flying around. Raining down gas bombs at hospitals is something our police force seems to love anyway.
When the media was a bit more sympathetic to Erdogan they used to point out that he tried to portray himself as a sort-of second Atatürk, a second father of the nation who tried to reconcile Atatürk's reforms with moderate islam. Of course the whole personal cult thing is always a pretty good indication of authoritarianism.
What? He hates Atatürk. Atatürk is the last thing he would want to portray. He even called Atatürk a drunkard once. He is more like late Ottoman rulers and his supporters usually hail him as a caliphate.
That was meant as "as important to Turkey as Atatürk", without ideological implications. Basically he wants to be as revered as Atatürk traditionally was/is, while he ideological moves the country away from Atatürk's legacy. And as I said, that was a media opinion from a few years ago, when Erdogan's authoritarianism and islamism seemed less obvious.
The cop who shot and killed Ethem Sarısülük is released. I knew I was wishing for too much when I wanted him to get arrested for murder. Oh well.
I've seen something about that on tv, they basically let the cops get away with anything while doctors who provided medical assistance to protesters are persecuted and threatened with losing their license.
Last weekend the Alevite community organized a demo in Cologne, with about 40000 people attending. That was the biggest support rally here so far. Also a lot of creative work by protesters circling in the news media. (slogans are only translated to german though)
Alevis have been persecuted against by the Turkish government for years now. A group of fundamentalist Islamists massacred around 30 Alevis some years ago in Sivas, and the government allowed the murderers to walk free. Imagine how they see atheists if they are this intolerant against people who just happens to believe in a different school of thought of Islam.
Anyway, situation is still the same. People are getting fired from their jobs when they talk too much about Gezi Park events. Legal stuff is still going on with complicated and slow cases but I don't see any importance of them. Erdoğan changes the laws and uses loopholes when he realizes laws are working against him so there is probably not much to gain through courts. There are at least a hundred cases of police brutality but most cops are being found innocent like the little innocent angels they are. The case about Gezi Park is still going on and it will probably go on for a good while.
Police is still attacking when they feel like it, protestors run away when police gets overzealous and then they claim key protest areas back when the police is absent again. The police is kinda over exhausted too. I have seen countless photos of cops sleeping on the street, with their armor on. Paid vacation for the police was cancelled but after the understandable reaction from the police, the cancellation itself was cancelled. I also heard about lots of police officers leaving their jobs too.
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Topic: Arab Spring springs to Turkey (Read 42840 times)