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Gezi Park is everywhere! Solidarity with the activists at Gezi Park! Gezi Parkı'nda eylemciler ile Dayanışma!
In Istanbul, the occupiers of Gezi Park near the central Taksim square have been brutally raided by police forces. The police used water canons and a large amount of tear gas against the demonstrators. Many people, including some journalists, were injured. Reportedly, several people were killed. In Bochum (town in the west of Germany; Ruhr area) as well as in other towns some people wanted to show that the activists in Istanbul are not alone and started an solidarity action.
In solidarity with #occupygezi a small park near Bochum’s city center was renamed as “Gezi Park”. A sign at the entrance of the park was changed to “Gezi Park”, a sticker with an explaining text and a photo of a teargas attack against a crowd at Taksim square in Istanbul was placed next to the new name. Additionally, more stickers were spread in the surroundings of the park and in the surrounding streets.
The actions in Istanbul are directed against a plan of the governing “Justice and Development Party” (Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi) to replace Gezi Park with a shopping mall. In the meantime, the discussion now is not only about the controversial shopping mall project but mainly about how a repressive government acts against its own citizens and answers legitimate protest with violence. Democracy looks different!
It is clear to us that a small action like the one we did in Bochum today will not stop police violence in Istanbul. In spite of this, we are not willing to remain silent. It is important to us to draw the German public’s attention to the incidents in Istanbul. And we would like to send our solidarity to the activists in Istanbul and to show them that they are not alone. We wish for – however small – actions everywhere! Some older comrades might remember the police violence at the G8 summit in Genova in 2001. What is happening in Istanbul today goes beyond the violence in Genova. Please come all to the streets and demonstrate to show the Turkish government that its violence against its own citizens will not remain unnoticed!
In the following, we document the text from the stickers spread in Bochum (translated from German):
Solidarity with the activists at Gezi Park!
Gezi Parkı'nda eylemciler ile Dayanışma!
Today (31 May 2013) in Istanbul severe attacks of police forces against demonstrators took place. The people have been protesting for several days against the plan to destroy Gezi park to build a shopping mall in its place. This week the trees should have been felled, but thousands of people slept in the park to prevent this. For many the park is one of the last green spaces in the center of Istanbul. The park is located next to Taksim square, the central place in Istanbul.
There are many injured demonstrators. The police used pepper spray, tear gas, water canons and rubber bullets against the people. Reportedly, one demonstrator was killed, and there are rumours about more killed demonstrators.
The media, which are related to the Turkish state, do not report about the protests at Gezi Park and Taksim square, or at least do not report extensively.
On the internet there are many reports and pictures of people who demonstrate in Istanbul: On twitter.com you can find a lot of information if you search for #occupygezi and #direngeziparki.
At http://occupygezipics.tumblr.com there are a lot of photos that show police violence.
Watch out for calls for actions and demonstrations against police violence!
