Gezi Park protests

2013 protests in Turkey
2013 Taksim Square Demonstrators in Taksim Square
Date	22:00, 27 May 2013 (UTC +03) (2013-05-27T22:00UTC +03) – present (Template:Age in years, months, weeks, days and hours)
Location	Istanbul, Ankara, İzmir, Hatay, Bursa, Adana, Mersin, Kayseri, Konya, Eskişehir, Antalya, Isparta, Denizli, Muğla, Trabzon, Edirne, Erzurum, Malatya, Samsun and most major cities. 90 locations in Turkey Dozens of cities within the Turkish Diaspora
Goals	Protecting Gezi Park and the forest of METU, protesting lack of consultation and police's use of excessive force, defending freedom of speech and right to assembly, resignation of Erdoğan's government
Methods	sit-ins, strike actions, demonstrations, online activism, protest marches, civil disobedience, civil resistance
Status	Gezi Park remains open to the public except its closures besides Taksim Square for security precautions during high tension times that occur because of protests. The scale and frequency of demonstrations died down in the summer, with human chains and for peace and against intervention in Syria and painting steps in rainbow colours. Protests have re-ignited, sparked by an attempt to construct a road through Middle Eastern Technical University's forest, which has been met with a Gezi-style occupation. The construction is also challenged in court. This has revived the protest movement with mass demonstrations again occurring across Turkey.
Parties
Anti-government protesters (originally environmentalists) Others: Taksim Solidarity Movement Greens Liberals Feminists Anti-capitalist Muslims LGBT Kurds Left wing Anarchists Communists Secularists Labor unions Nationalists Lawyers Engineers and Architects Doctors, Nurses and Medical Workers Football supporter clubs of the four major teams Alevis Libertarians Atheists Armenians Government of Turkey Prime Minister Ministry of the Interior Police Gendarmerie
Lead figures
Non-centralized leadership Government leaders: Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (Prime Minister) Muammer Güler (Minister of Interior) Hüseyin Avni Mutlu (Governor of Istanbul Province) Kadir Topbaş (Mayor of Istanbul) Hüseyin Çapkın (Police Chief of Istanbul Province) Mehmet Artar (Gendarmerie Chief Colonel)
Number
3,545,000 in person (government estimate) Cities 100,000+ (Istanbul) 93,950 (Adana) 40,000+ (Ankara) 30,000+ (Izmir) 30,000+ (Bursa) 30,000+ (Çorlu) 20,000+ (Eskisehir) 20,000+ (Antakya) 20,000+ (Gaziantep) 20,000+ (Denizli) 15,000+ (Bodrum) 15,000+ (Çorum) Unknown
Casualties
Death(s)	11
Injuries	at least 8,163 (at least 63 in serious or critical condition with at least 3 having a risk of death)
Arrested	at least 4,900 ( at least 81 people being held in custody)
Detained	at least 134

The 2013 protests in Turkey started on 28 May 2013, initially to contest the urban development plan for Istanbul's Taksim Gezi Park. The protests were sparked by outrage at a brutal eviction of a sit-in at the park protesting against the plan. Subsequently, supporting protests and strikes took place across Turkey protesting a wide range of concerns, at the core of which were issues of freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, and the government's encroachment on Turkey's secularism. With no centralised leadership beyond the small organisation organising the original environmental protest, the protests have been compared to the Occupy movement and the May 1968 events. After Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan dismissed the protestors as "a few çapulcu" on 2 June, the protestors reappropriated the term çapulcu (looter) for themselves (and coined the derivative "chapulling", given the meaning of "fighting for your rights"). Humor has been the primary "weapon" for the protestors.

The sit-in at Taksim Gezi Park was restored after police withdrew from Taksim Square on 1 June, and developed into an Occupy-like camp with thousands of protestors in tents, organising a library, medical center, food distribution and their own media. Social media played a key part in the protests, not least because much of the Turkish media downplayed the protests, particularly in the early stages. As protests continued across Turkey, particularly in Ankara, police use of tear gas and water cannon led to injuries running into thousands, including critical injuries, loss of sight, and a number of deaths. Over three thousand arrests were made. On 11 June, riot police moved back into Taksim Square. Luke Harding from The Guardian as well as Hürriyet Daily News claims that undercover police threw molotov cocktails, "staging a not very plausible 'attack' on their own for the benefit of the cameras." These claims were rejected by the governor of Istanbul, Hüseyin Avni Mutlu. On the evening of 15 June, following several peaceful evenings in the square including piano recitals, police moved in with tear gas and water cannon adulterated with pepper spray, and rapidly cleared and occupied the park and square. Protesters fled to the surrounding areas, and were chased by police, who assaulted local hotels and a hospital with tear gas and water cannon. Protests continued in the following days.

The initial protests in Istanbul at the end of May were led by about 50 environmentalists, opposing the replacement of Taksim Gezi Park with a shopping mall and possible residence as well as reconstruction of the historic Taksim Military Barracks (demolished in 1940) over the adjacent Taksim Square. The protests developed into riots when a group occupying the park was attacked with tear gas and water cannons by police. The subjects of the protests then broadened beyond the development of Taksim Gezi Park into wider anti-government demonstrations. The protests also spread to other cities in Turkey, and protests were seen in other countries with significant Turkish communities, including European countries, the U.S. and elsewhere. Protesters took to Taksim Square in Istanbul and to streets in Ankara as well as İzmir, Bursa, Antalya, Eskişehir, Balıkesir, Edirne, Mersin, Adana, İzmit, Konya, Kayseri, Samsun, Antakya, Trabzon, Isparta, Tekirdağ, Bodrum, and Mardin. The overall number of protesters involved was reported to be at least 2.5 million by the Turkish Interior Ministry over the 3 weeks from the start of the events. The hashtag #OccupyGezi trended in social media. On 3 June unions announced strikes for 4 and 5 June. Some Turkish-American supporters of the protests took a full page advertisement in the New York Times on 7 June co-created and crowd-funded within days by thousands of people on the Internet. The ad and the New York Times drew criticism from the Turkish Prime Minister, necessitating the newspaper to respond.

The range of the protesters was noted as being broad, encompassing both right- and left-wing individuals. The protesters' complaints ranged from the original local environmental concerns to such issues as the authoritarianism of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, curbs on alcohol, a recent row about kissing in public, and the war in Syria.

Erdoğan gave a number of speeches dismissing the protesters, and on 3 June left the country on a planned 3-day diplomatic tour of North African countries, a move that was criticized as irresponsible by opposing political leaders. According to various news outlets, the clashes are the most challenging events for Erdoğan's ten-year term and the most significant nationwide disquiet in decades. On 4 June, Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç apologized to protesters for "excessive violence" used by the police in the beginning of the riots, but said he would not apologize for the police violence that came after. On 6 June, PM Erdoğan said the redevelopment plans would go ahead despite the protests.

Background

Main articles: Environmental issues in Turkey, Human rights in Turkey, Secularism in Turkey, and Economy of Turkey

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

The Justice and Development Party (AKP) led by Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has governed since 2002, winning the 2002, 2007 and 2011 elections by large margins. Under its rule the economy of Turkey recovered from the 2001 financial crisis and recession, driven in particular by a construction boom. At the same time, particularly since 2011, it has been accused of driving forward an Islamist agenda, having undermined the secularist influence of the Turkish Army. During the same period it also increased a range of restrictions on human rights, most notably freedom of speech and freedom of the press, despite improvements resulting from the accession process to the European Union.

Since 2011, the AKP has increased restrictions on freedom of speech, freedom of the press, Internet use, television content, and the right to free assembly. It has also developed links with Turkish media groups, and used administrative and legal measures (including, in one case, a $2.5 billion tax fine) against critical media groups and journalists: "over the last decade the AKP has built an informal, powerful, coalition of party-affiliated businessmen and media outlets whose livelihoods depend on the political order that Erdoğan is constructing. Those who resist do so at their own risk."

2011 protests against internet censorship.

The government has been seen by certain constituencies as increasingly Islamist and authoritarian, An education reform strengthening Islamic elements and courses in public primary and high schools was approved by the parliament in 2012, with Erdoğan saying that he wanted to foster a "pious generation." The sale and consumption of alcohol in university campuses has been banned. People have been given jail sentences for blasphemy.

While construction in Turkey has boomed and has been a major driver for the economy, this has involved little to no local consultation. For example, major construction projects in Istanbul have been "opposed by widespread coalitions of diverse interests. Yet in every case, the government has run roughshod over the projects' opponents in a dismissive manner, asserting that anyone who does not like what is taking place should remember how popular the AKP has been when elections roll around." Corruption concerns have also been raised, particularly relating to the Kanal İstanbul.

Environmental issues, especially since the 2010 decision of the government to build additional nuclear power plants and the third bridge, led to continued demonstrations in Istanbul and Ankara. The Black Sea Region has seen dozens of protests against the construction of waste-dumps, nuclear and coal power plants, mines, factories and hydroelectric dams. 24 local musicians and activists in 2012 created a video entitled "Diren Karadeniz" ("Resist, Black Sea"), which prefigured the ubiquitous Gezi Park slogan "Diren Gezi".

The government's stance on the civil war in Syria is another cause of social tension in the country.

Controversy within progressive communities has been sparked by plans to turn Turkey's former Christian Hagia Sophia churches (now museums) in Trabzon and possibly Istanbul into mosques, a plan which failed to gain the support of prominent Muslim leaders from Trabzon.

In 2012 and 2013, structural weaknesses in Turkey's economy were becoming more apparent. Economic growth slowed considerably in 2012 from 8.8% in 2011 to 2.2% in 2012 and forecasts for 2013 were below trend. Unemployment remained high at at least 9% and the current account deficit was growing to over 6% of GDP.

A key issue Erdoğan campaigned for prior to the 2011 election was to rewrite the military-written constitution from 1982. Key amongst Erdoğan's demands were for Turkey to transform the role of President from that of a ceremonial role to an executive presidential republic with emboldened powers and for him to be elected president in the 2014 presidential elections. To submit such proposals to a referendum needs 330 out of 550 votes in the Grand National Assembly and to approve without referendum by parliament requires 367 out of 550 votes (a two-thirds majority) - The AKP currently holds only 326 seats. As such the constitutional commission requires agreement from opposition parties, namely the CHP, MHP and BDP who have largely objected to such proposals. Moreover, the constitutional courts have ruled that current president Abdullah Gul is permitted to run for the 2014 elections, who is widely rumoured to have increasingly tense relations and competition with Erdoğan. Furthermore, many members of parliament in the governing AKP have internally also objected by arguing that the current presidential system suffices. Erdoğan himself is currently barred from running for a fourth term as prime minister in the 2015 general elections due to current AKP by-laws, largely sparking accusations from the public that Erdoğan's proposals were stated in light of him only intending to prolong his rule as the most dominant figure in politics. The constitutional proposals have mostly so far been delayed in deliberations or lacked any broad agreement for reforms

Events Leading up to the Protests

Early February: The government attempts to make abortion virtually unobtainable. This follows Erdoğan's sparking his campaign against abortion in June 2012, which later saw various protests by feminist groups and individuals.

February 19: A survey conducted by Kadir Has University (incorporating up to 20 000 interviewees from 26 of 81 provinces and having a low margin of error) shows considerable disapproval of Erdoğan's strongly advocated proposed change from a parliamentary system to an American-style executive presidential system by 2014 - 65.8% opposed and 21.2% in support.

February–March 2013: A large bank in Turkey, Ziraat Bank, changes its name from "T.C. Ziraat Bankası" to simply "Ziraat Bankası", thus omitting the acronym of the Republic of Turkey, T.C., (Türkiye Cumhuriyeti). The Turkish Ministry of Health also stops using T.C. in signs. In protest, thousands of people start using TC in front of their names on Facebook and Twitter as a protest. Some people believe that the AKP is trying to change the name or the regime of the country while others believe that this omission of the letters TC is a sign of privatization of the Ziraat bank and hospitals.

Late March: The Turkish flag is formally removed from the logo of the Grand National Assembly. Many view this as a denigration of parliamentary process and the republic. Opposition members of parliament protest by bringing personal flags into the chamber whilst seated. It is understood more than 2 000 AK party branch members resigned in protest at the move.

April 2: The AK party’s Istanbul branch head, Aziz Babuşçu, broadly hints that he expects his own party to lose liberal support, saying "Those who were somehow [partners] of ours in the 10 years of our rule will not be partners for us in the next 10 years" and "[This is] because in the last 10 years, there were partners of ours who were standing by what we did in a liquidation process and in defining freedom, the rule of law and justice. Although they cannot tolerate us, let’s say liberal circles, they have been partners of ours for some reason, but the future period of constructing [Turkey] will not be like that."

April 3: Excavation for construction begins for the hugely controversial giant Camlica Mosque in Istanbul. It is a signature policy ambition of Erdoğan - planned to be 57,511 square metres, have capacity for up to 30 000 simultaneous worshipers and to have minarets as tall as 1071 metres (representing the year of the Turkish victory in the Battle of Beyazit). Residents of Istanbul have long complained that the project is unnecessary and would difigure the skyline and environment by the logging involved. Even many highly religious lobbies and figures object to the plan, with one religiously conservative intellectual in late 2012 calling such plans a "cheap replica" of the Blue Mosque and wrote to Erdoğan imploring him not to embarrass coming generations with such "unsightly work".

April 15: World-renowned Turkish pianist Fazıl Say is handed a suspended 10-month prison sentence for "insulting religious beliefs held by a section of the society," bringing to a close a controversial case while sparking fiery reaction and dissaproval in Turkey and abroad. Fazıl Say is an atheist and a self-proclaimed opponent of Erdoğan.

11 May: Twin car bombs kill 52 people and wounded 140 in Reyhanlı near the Syrian border. The government claims Syrian government involvement, but many locals blame government policies.

16 May: Erdoğan pays an official visit to the United States to visit Barack Obama to discuss the crisis in Syria amidst other matters. Both leaders reaffirm their commitment to topple the Assad regime, despite the growing unpopularity of the policy amongst Turkish citizens.

18 May: Protesters clash with police in Reyhanlı.

22 May: An official from the ruling AKP, Mahmut Macit, sparks considerable controversy after calling for the "annihilation of atheists" on his Twitter account.

Armenian-Turkish writer, Sevan Nişanyan, is charged with 58 weeks in jail for an alleged insult to the Prophet Muhammad in a blog post, under similar charges to what Fazil Say was charged upon.

24 May: The government votes to ban the sale of alcohol in shops between 22:00 and 06:00, sponsorship of events by drinks companies and any consumption of alcohol within 100m of mosques. The laws are passed less than two weeks after public announcement with no public consultation.

25 May: In response to Erdoğan's warning against couples displaying romantic displays of affection in public, dozens of couples gathered in an Ankara subway station to protest by kissing. The police quickly intervened and violently tried to break end it.

27 May: The undebated decision to name the Third Bosphorus Bridge Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, for Selim I, is criticised by Alevi groups (some 15–30% of Turkey's population), as Alevis consider the Sultan responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands of Alevis during the Battle of Chaldiran. It is also been criticised by some Turkish and foreign sources (e.g., Iran's Nasr TV) as a reflection of Erdoğan's policy of alliance with the US Government against Bashar Assad, as Sultan Selim I conquered the lands of Syria for the Ottoman Empire after the Battle of Marj Dabiq. Some "democrats and liberals" also would have preferred a more politically neutral name, with Mario Levi suggesting naming the bridge after Rumi or Yunus Emre.

Trees start to be torn down at Gezi Park, causing a group of environmentalists to descend on the park and recommend its suspension.

28 May: Erdoğan derides controversy regarding alcohol restrictions stating: "Given that a law made by two drunkards is respected, why should a law that is commanded by religion be rejected by your side?" - This evident reference to Ataturk and Inonu, offends people who respect them.

29 May: In a parliamentary debate, the government opposes a proposed extension of LGBT rights in Turkey.

Gezi Park

Main article: Taksim Gezi Park

Taksim Military Barracks, built 1806, turned into Taksim Stadium in 1921, and demolished in 1940.

The initial cause of the protests was the plan to remove Gezi Park, one of the few remaining green spaces in the center of the European side of Istanbul. The plan involved pedestrianising Taksim Square and rebuilding the Ottoman-era Taksim Military Barracks, which had been demolished in 1940. Development projects in Turkey involve "cultural preservation boards" which are supposed to be independent of the government, and in January such a board rejected the project as not serving the public interest. However a higher board overturned this on 1 May, in a move park activists said was influenced by the government.

Gezi Park as seen from the Marmara Hotel on Taksim Square.

The ground floor of the rebuilt barracks was expected to house a shopping mall, and the upper floors luxury flats, although in response to the protests the likelihood of a shopping mall was downplayed, and the possibility of a museum raised. The main contractor for the project is the Kalyon Group, described in 2013 by the BBC as "a company which has close ties with the governing Justice and Development (AK) Party."

The Gezi Park protests began in April, having started with a petition in December 2012. The protests were renewed on 27 May, culminating in the creation of an encampment occupying the park. A raid on this encampment on 29 May prompted outrage and wider protests. Although Turkey has a history of police brutality, the attack on a peaceful sit-in by environmentalists was different enough to spur wider outrage than such previous incidents, developing into the largest protests in Turkey in decades.

Timeline

Main article: Timeline of the 2013 protests in Turkey

• 28 May On the morning of 28 May, around 50 environmentalists are camping out in Gezi Park in order to prevent its demolition. The protesters initially halt attempts to bulldoze the park by refusing to leave.

• Police use tear gas to disperse the peaceful protesters and burn down their tents in order to allow the bulldozing to continue. Photos of the scene, such as an image of a young female protester (later nicknamed the "woman in red") holding her ground while being sprayed by a policeman, quickly spread throughout the world media. The Washington Post reports that the image "encapsulates Turkey's protests and the severe police crackdown", while Reuters calls the image an "iconic leitmotif."

• 29 May The size of the protests grows.

• 30 May Police raid the protesters' encampments. Online activists' calls for support against the police crackdown increase the number of sit-in protesters by the evening.

• 31 May Police carry out another raid on the encampment in the early morning of 31 May, using water cannons and tear gas to disperse the protesters to surrounding areas and setting up barricades around the park to prevent re-occupation. Throughout the day, the police continue to fire tear gas, pepper spray and water cannons at demonstrators, resulting in reports of more than 100 injuries. Sırrı Süreyya Önder was hospitalised after being hit in the shoulder by a tear gas canister. Some protesters throw rocks at the security forces.

• The executive order regarding the process decided earlier had been declared as "on-hold".

• 10,000 gather in Istiklal Avenue. According to governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu, 63 people are arrested and detained. Police use of tear gas is criticised for being "indiscriminate." The interior minister, Muammer Guler, says the claims of the use of disproportionate force would be investigated.

Kızılay Square in Ankara, June 2, 2013.

• 2 June Around 3 000 protesters march in the Keçioren district of Ankara. Security camera footage and police reports reveal the aim of these protesters is to occupy the Prime Minister's house and his office in Ankara. Protesters use petrol bombs and attacked police during these events. Simultaneously group of protesters march towards the Prime Minister's office in Istanbul's Besiktas district, clashing with the police by using petrol bombs and burning vehicles parked on the street. Even though these attempts were not successful, these groups played a major role until end of the protests and criticized by many protesters with hijacking the peaceful protests and turning them into violent protests which resulted in deaths.

• 3 June In the evening, the TV game show Kelime Oyunu ("Word Game"), on Bloomberg HT TV, hosted by Ali İhsan Varol, tacitly breaks the media censorship and supports the protests by placing questions and answers that refer to the protests (e.g. "gazmaskesi", gas masks, "çapulcu", looter, "boyunduruk", headlock/oppression).

• Government apologizes to the protestors

• 17 June A general strike and protests take place in almost every part of Turkey which didn't have any negative effect on daily life in Turkey which led criticism of unions and their power and questions were raised by many if the protests have real support in Turkey nationwide.

• • The "Standing Man", Erdem Gündüz starts his silent protest in the evening.

• 18 June Similar protests consisting of simply stopping and standing still spread everywhere in Turkey.

President Abdullah Gül announces suspension of Gezi Park redevelopment plans.

An investigation regarding police brutality is opened and some officers dismissed

• 22 June Violence and mass demonstrations spread again in the country, after police attacks on thousands of protesters who threw carnations at them and called for brotherhood

• 29 June Mass demonstrations occur again in Taksim Square, Istanbul and also in Güvenpark and Dikmen in Ankara to protest against the release of police officer Ahmet Şahbaz who fatally shot Ethem Sarısuluk in the head, as well as against events in Lice, Diyarbakır and Cizre, Şırnak. Riot police suppress the protestors partially with plastic bullets and some tear gas bombs and some protestors are detained. There is also a major police intervention in Ankara.

• 30 June Two major protests are held in Istanbul. In Taksim, with the support of Gezi Protestors, LGBT activists marched from Istiklal Caddesi to Taksim Avenue. Thousands of Fenerbahce fans, with the support of Gezi Protestors and other footbal teams' fans, held a massive march through the Kadıköy district to protest UEFA decision and government attitude against Fenerbahçe and Beşiktaş football teams.

The Minister of Agriculture, Mehdi Eker, and Istanbul governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu are catcalled by hundreds of the audience at a horse race.

Protests continue elsewhere Turkey. In Mersin, police attack hundreds of protestors and protestors retaliate with stones. There are reports of wounded people.

After Erdoğan's speech, 10 to 20 supporters attack hundreds of unarmed protestors in the public forum in Yoğurtçu Park, Kadıkoy with knives and sticks, wounding two protesters.

• 2 July A court blocks the Gezi Park redevelopment project.

• 6 July A legal package proposed by the AKP and passed by parliament at midnight includes a law that removes the authority of TMMOB (UCTEA) over maps, plans and projects and gives it to the Ministry of Culture. The ministry applies to the Regional Administration Court to overturn the ruling of the Istanbul Administration Court which stopped the Gezi Park construction projects.

• 7 July Near 1 million people (also stated as hundreds of thousands) stage the a festival named "1st Gas Man Festival" (1.Gazdanadam Festivali), in Kadıköy to protest against the police crackdown on anti-government and nature-supporting demonstrations across the country.

• 8 July Istanbul governor Hüseyin Avni Mutlu presides over a public reopening of the Gezi Park. People called by the Taksim Solidarity group for a mass visit quickly fill the park, and within less than an hour of the governor's departure, the park is cordoned off by police and those inside forcefully evacuated, thus closing the park to the public again.

• 10 July With the arrival of Ramadan, protestors in Istanbul hold mass iftar (the ceremonial meal breaking the daily fast) for all comers.

• 22 July The Ministry of Culture's appeal to a higher Regional Court is accepted, leaving no immediate legal obstacles to the construction plans. PM Erdoğan states that if the courts allow construction to proceed, a plebiscite can be a possibility. Can Atalay, lawyer of the Architects Chamber under the TMMOB (UCTEA), stated that; "even a single nail can not be put in Gezi Park", because of the rejection of current construction plans by the Istanbul Court; this requires the submission of new construction plans or a decision by State Council allowing the construction.

• 30 July The Freelance Architects Association of Istanbul(ISMD) announce a design competition for the redevelopment of Gezi Park. More than 250 academics and professionals in the field of architecture sign a petition to stop this competition.

• 31 July Thousands gather in Taksim Square for a press statement from the father of the seriously-injured 16-year-old protestor Berkin Elvan and demand that the government to find those responsible for Berkin's injury.

• 7 September After a relatively quiet period, protests re-ignite as police attempt to enter the campus of Middle East Technical University (METU / ODTÜ) to enforce construction of a new road which would result in destruction of woodland. Protests in sympathy break out in Istanbul and Izmir.

• 8 September Police fire tear gas at demonstrators in Ankara's Tuzluçayır district.

• 9 September Protests in support of METU students start in Antakya, and another demonstrator is killed. According to protesters, his death was caused by a tear gas canister; according to the Ministry of Justice, by falling from a height.

• 10–18 September Thousands of protesters clash with police in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Antakya, Malatya, Mersin, Izmit, Bursa, Eskisehir and Samsun over the death of Ahmet Atakan. Protesters raided AK Party headquarters in Bursa and hanged Turkish flags inside as part of their lamenting of what they saw was the lack of nationalism on behalf of the AKP. There was a notable more secretarian atmosphere amongst the protesters in these latest demonstrations - In Istanbul's Kadikoy district police barricades were set on fire. Communal meetings advocating pluralism was later held in Kadikoy.

• 19 SeptemberErdogan publicly dismisses university student protests in Ankara and suggests the demonstrators should “go and live in a forest."

• 20-21 September Rocket bombs were fired at police offices in the Ankara neighborhood of Dikmen. No one was killed but the buildings were structurally damaged.

Protesters were briefly detained in Istanbul's Besiktas district after a 'tea drinking' protest against the privatization of a ferry dock.

An Ankara prosecutor demands six years in prison for 45 university students who held a protest against Erdogan during the launch ceremony of a Turkish satellite in December 2012.

Protesters

Protesters applaud a whirling Sufi wearing a gas mask.

A banner in Kurdish in Gezi Park during protests: "For Hrant, For Justice (Ji Bo Hrant, Ji Bo Dade ê)"

The initial Istanbul protests were led by about 50 environmentalists. This widened dramatically in response to the heavy-handed eviction by police of the environmentalist sit-in at Gezi Park. With no centralised leadership beyond the organisation organising the original environmental protest, the protests have been compared with the Arab Spring, the Occupy movement and May 1968.

The range of the protesters was noted as being broad, encompassing both right and left-wing individuals. The Atlantic described the participants as "the young and the old, the secular and the religious, the soccer hooligans and the blind, anarchists, communists, nationalists, Kurds, gays, feminists, and students." Der Spiegel said that protests were "drawing more than students and intellectuals. Families with children, women in headscarves, men in suits, hipsters in sneakers, pharmacists, tea-house proprietors – all are taking to the streets to register their displeasure." It added that there was a notable absence of political party leadership: "There have been no party flags, no party slogans and no prominent party functionaries to be seen. Kemalists and communists have demonstrated side-by-side with liberals and secularists." Opposition parties told members not to participate, leaving those who joined in doing so as private individuals.

The Guardian observed that "Flags of the environmentalist movement, rainbow banners, flags of Atatürk, of Che Guevara, of different trade unions, all adorn the Gezi park." Flag of PKK and its leader Abdullah Öcalan's posters and were also seen. Hürriyet noted that even the football supporter clubs of the three major teams (not least Beşiktaş' Çarşı), normally greatly antagonistic towards each other, had agreed to join the protests together; a Turkish sports reporter suggested that the supporters clubs' experience in battling police played a significant role. A photo report from RT showed graffiti in Taksim Square in support of internationalism. The Economist noted that there were as many women as men, and said that "Scenes of tattooed youths helping women in headscarves stricken by tear gas have bust tired stereotypes about secularism versus Islam." Across political divides, protestors supported each other against the police.

Turkish critic and screenwriter Oktay Ege Kozak said "These protests are not just about a group of trees anymore. These protests are about millions of Turkish people doing whatever they can to protect our country's legacy of personal freedom and secularism. After ten years of their rights being taken away bit by bit, the country's young and old banding together to remind a deluded, self-imposed king that he does not rule over the land. That the land does not belong to him, it belongs to all of us ... the explosion was inevitable."

According to Erdoğan's 4 June speech from Morocco, the demonstrators are mostly looters, political losers and extremist fringe groups. He went on to say they went hand-in-hand with 'terrorists' and 'extremists'. He indicated that these protests were organized by the Republican Peoples Party (even though the CHP had initially supported construction on the Gezi-park). Turkey analysts however suggested the demonstrations arose from bottom-up processes, lacking leadership.

A Bilgi University survey asked protesters about events that influenced them to join in the protests. Most cited were the prime minister's "authoritarian attitude" (92%), the police's "disproportionate use of force" (91%), the "violation of democratic rights" (91%), and the "silence of the media" (84%). Half the protestors were under 30, and 70% had no political affiliation; another poll found 79% had no affiliation with any organization.

Demands

On 4 June a solidarity group associated with the Occupy Gezi movement, Taksim Dayanışması ("Taksim Solidarity"), issued several demands:

• the preservation of Gezi Park;
• an end to police violence, the right to freedom of assembly and the prosecution of those responsible for the violence against demonstrators;
• an end to the sale of "public spaces, beaches, waters, forests, streams, parks and urban symbols to private companies, large holdings and investors";
• the right of people to express their "needs and complaints without experiencing fear, arrest or torture."
• for the media "whose professional duty is to protect the public good and relay correct information ... to act in an ethical and professional way."
• ruling authorities to realize that the reaction of the citizens is also about the third airport in Istanbul, the third bridge over The Bosporus, the construction on Atatürk Forest Farm, and the hydro-electric power plants (HEPP)

Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç met the group on 5 June but later rejected these demands.

Types of protest

Gezi Park camp

Gazkonmaz Sokak

With the police abandoning attempts to clear the Gezi Park encampment on 1 June, the area began to take on some of the characteristics associated with the Occupy movement. The number of tents swelled, to the point where a hand-drawn map was set up at the entrance. Access roads to the park and to Taksim Square have been blocked by protestors against the police with barricades of paving stones and corrugated iron.

By evening on 4 June there were again tens of thousands in Taksim Square; Al Jazeera reported that "there are many families with their children enjoying the demonstration that has developed the feeling of a festival." There were also signs of a developing infrastructure reminding some observers of Occupy Wall Street, with "a fully operational kitchen and first-aid clinic... carved out of an abandoned concession stand in the back of the park," complete with rotas and fundraising for people's travel expenses. Protestors brought food to donate, and dozens of volunteers organised themselves into four shifts.

A free veterinarian Clinic at Taksim Gezi Park, 7 June

A makeshift "protestor library" was also created (soon reaching 5000 books), and Şebnem Ferah gave a concert. A "makeshift outdoor movie screen" was set up, together with a stage with microphones and speakers, and a generator. A symbolic "street" was named after Hrant Dink, the journalist murdered in 2007; the street connects the Peace Square with the children's playground. Sellers of watermelons mingle with sellers of swimming goggles and surgical masks (to protect against tear gas); a yoga teacher provides classes. The crowds swell in the evening as office workers join.

Graffiti showing the words "At least 3 beers", which parodies the government's regulation of sale of alcohol between 22:00 to 06:00 and Erdoğan's advice of 3 kids.

With 5 June being the Lailat al Miraj religious holiday, protestors distributed "kandil simidi" (a pastry specific to the holiday), and temporarily declared the park a no-alcohol zone. Celebration of the holiday included a Quran reading. Protestors had previously mocked Erdoğan's recommendation to have at least 3 children and policy of restricting alcohol with the slogan "at least 3 beers" even though this is criticized on social media for Erdoğan's recommendation of having 3 children is his personal view and not a government policy.

Symbols and humour

The iconic 'Woman in Red' image

One photograph taken by Reuters photographer Osman Orsal of a woman in a red dress being pepper-sprayed became one of the iconic images of the protests: "In her red cotton summer dress, necklace and white bag slung over her shoulder she might have been floating across the lawn at a garden party; but before her crouches a masked policeman firing teargas spray that sends her long hair billowing upwards." Orsal himself was later injured by a tear gas canister.

Guy Fawkes masks have also been widely used, for example by striking Turkish Airlines cabin crew performing a parody of airline safety announcements referring to the protests.

Guy Fawkes masks, dust masks and goggles on sale in Gezi Park, 4 June

The protestors have also made significant use of humour, both in graffiti and online, in what the BBC called "an explosion of expression... in the form of satire, irony and outright mockery of the popular leader on Istanbul's streets and social media." It gave as an example a parody of the Turkish auction site sahibinden.com as "tayyibinden.com", listing Gezi Park for sale. Examples of slogans include "Enough! I’m calling the police", as well as pop culture references: "Tayyip – Winter is Coming" (a reference to Game of Thrones) and "You’re messing with the generation that beats cops in GTA." (a reference to Grand Theft Auto).

Penguin art in Gezi Park

Penguins were also adopted as a symbol, referring to CNN Turk's showing a penguin documentary while CNN International provided live coverage of the protests; examples include "We are all penguins" T-shirts.

In response to Erdoğan's description of the protesters as looters (çapulcu), demonstrators took up the name as a symbol of pride, describing their peaceful and humorous civil disobedience actions as Chapulling.

Other parks and Public forums

Ongoing public park forums' map by the districts in Istanbul, during the 2013 protests in Turkey.

Ongoing public park forums' map by the provinces in Turkey, during the 2013 protests in Turkey.

Encampments were made in other parks in support of the Gezi protests, including in Ankara's Kuğulu Park and in Izmir's Gündoğdu Square.

After the Gezi Park camp was cleared, protestors began to meet in other parks to discuss ways forward for the protests.

After the violent clearing of Gezi Park on 15–16 June by riot police and Turkish Gendarmerie, Beşiktaş JK's supporter group Çarşı, declared the Abbasağa Park, in Beşiktaş district as the second Gezi Park and called for people to occupy it on 17 June. After this call, thousands started to gather at Abbasağa Park, holding public forums to discuss and vote on the situation of the resistance and actions to be taken. Shortly after this, democracy forums and meetings spread to many parks in Istanbul and then to the other cities, like Ankara, Izmir, Mersin, etc. These meetings and forums used the slogan and hashtag #ParklarBizim (Parks are ours) to support Gezi Park and other public parks of Turkey.

Ankara Telfer Construction

Another situation like the construction project on Gezi Park occurred in Republican controlled Yenimahalle, Ankara which led to large protests and police intervention. 37 40-50-year-old trees on a junction in the centre of Yenimahalle, located just next to Yunus Emre Park, were felled to facilitate construction by the AKP-led Ankara Metropolitan Municipality of a stop for a cable car transportation line. The municipality cut the trees in the middle of the night of 21 July to avoid protests, but after the news spread the next day, this was interpreted as another assault on the environment and provoked a strong local reaction. The first protests in the area started as a sit-in by about 200 people on the construction area on 23 July. The following day local protesters were joined by about 1,000 people from throughout Ankara. Riot police attacked the protesters with water cannons and teargas, taking some into custody and injuring some, including a group of protesters who lay down in front of a vehicle.

The nearby public park forum of Yunus Emre Park took a decision to continue the protests on following days and put banners on the screens placed in front of the construction area, asking "Who's the slayer of the trees here?" pointing at the Mayor of Ankara, Melih Gökçek. Gökçek described the protesters as "vandals" and also blamed the Republican People's Party for the protests.

Demonstrations and strikes

See also: List of solidarity rallies with the 2013 protests in Turkey

Protesters on the Istiklal Caddesi shopping boulevard.

Demonstrations were held in many cities in Turkey. According to the Human Rights Foundation of Turkey around 640,000 people had participated in the demonstrations as of 5 June. Protests took place in 78 of Turkey's 81 provinces. The biggest protests have been in Istanbul, with reports of more than 100,000 protesters. Inside of the city, protests have been concentrated in the central neighborhoods of Beyoğlu (around Taksim square and İstiklal Avenue), Beşiktaş (from Dolmabahçe to Ortaköy) and Üsküdar (From Maltepe to Kadıköy, Beylerbeyi to Çengelköy). Also in Zeytinburnu, traditionally seen as a conservative working-class neighborhood to the west of the old city, tens of thousands marched in protest. Among the suburbs that saw demonstrations were Beylikdüzü and Küçükçekmece on the far-western side of the city, Pendik and Kartal at the far east and Ümraniye, Beykoz and Esenler to the North.

A small district in Istanbul called "Gazi" (not to be confused with Gezi Park) is currently (10 June 2013) one of the major points of counter-protests.

The biggest protests outside Istanbul have been in Antakya and then in Ankara and Izmir. Other cities in Turkey with protests include (Between 31 May – 25 June):

• ~1,000,000 (Kadıköy)
• 100,000+ (Istanbul)
• 50,000 (Antakya)
• 40,000 (Ankara)
• 30,000+ (Izmir)
• 30,000 (Bursa)
• 30,000 (Çorlu)
• 30,000 (Eskisehir)
• 30,000 (Samandağ)
• 20,000 (Mersin)
• 20,000 (Gaziantep)
• 20,000 (Denizli)
• 18,000 (Adana)
• 15,000 (Bodrum)
• 15,000 (Antalya)
• 15,000 (Çorum)
• And many more..

Map of major protest locations

Istanbul

Ankara

Bursa

İzmir

Çeşme

Eskişehir

Bodrum

Sinop

Gerze

Milas

Malatya

Artvin

Hopa

Borçka

Zonguldak

Bergama

Balıkesir

Kütahya

Kuşadası

Antalya

Trabzon

Rize

Fındıklı

Giresun

Adana

Kayseri

Bolu

İzmit

Tunceli

Isparta

Tekirdağ

Gaziantep

Manisa

Muğla

Antakya

Samandağ

Tarsus

Niğde

Çorum

Mersin

Kayseri

Sivas

Şanlıurfa

Samsun

Gölbaşı

Erzurum

Erzincan

Kars

Iğdır

Denizli

Aydın

İskenderun

Fethiye

Çanakkale

Bartın

Alanya

Çorlu

Salihli

Edirne

Advertising and petition

The ad published in the New York Times by protestors.

On 4 June a New York Times advertisement reached its $54,000 crowd-funding target on Indiegogo. The ad featured demands for "an end to police brutality"; "a free and unbiased media"; and "an open dialogue, not the dictate of an autocrat." An early draft sparked debate among Gezi protesters for its references to Atatürk, which was not a common value of the protesters. The editing of the final advertisement involved thousands of people, and the ad was published on 7 June. Despite its financing by 2,654 online funders, Erdoğan and his administration blamed a domestic and foreign "Bond Interest lobby" and the New York Times for the ad. Full Page Ad for Turkish Democracy in Action: OccupyGezi for the World

An Avaaz petition similarly asked for an end to violence against protesters, the preservation of Gezi Park, and of "the remaining green areas in Istanbul."

Standing Man/Woman protest

Standing man

After the clearing of Gezi Park camp (31 May 2013) a new type of protest developed, dubbed the "Standing Man" or "Standing Woman". A lone protester, Erdem Gündüz, initiated it on 17 June 2013 by standing in Taksim Square for hours, staring at the Turkish flags on the Ataturk Cultural Center. The Internet distributed images of such protest widely; other persons imitated the protest style and artists took up the theme. A type of dilemma action, the initial Standing Man protest soon inspired others to do the same.

Boycott

An additional form of protest developed under the name "Boykot Listesi", as a boycott of businesses which had failed to open their doors to protestors seeking refuge from tear gas and water cannon, and of companies such as Doğuş Holding (owner of NTV) which owned media that had not given sufficient coverage of the protests. The hashtag #boykotediyoruz was used.

Violence and vandalism

Monument of Security in Ankara, damaged during the protests.

Even though protests were definitely peaceful in the first days, there were accusations of violence and vandalism as the protests continued. According to the journalist Gülay Göktürk, "the Gezi Park protesters damaged 103 police cruisers, 207 automobiles, 15 ambulances and 280 buildings and buses in demonstrations across the country." though no other sources confirm these figures.

The mayor of Ankara tweeted angrily "Who broke the fountain in front of the town hall" with the implication that protesters were responsible for the damage, leading to a storm of satirical tweets and even poems.

Responses

Government response

On 29 May, after the initial protests, Erdoğan gave a speech at the groundbreaking ceremony for the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge reiterating his commitment to the redevelopment plan, saying "Whatever you do, we've made our decision and we will implement it." On 31 May Istanbul mayor Kadir Topbaş stated that the environmental campaign had been manipulated by "political agendas."

On 1 June Erdoğan gave a televised speech condemning the protesters and vowing that "where they gather 20, I will get up and gather 200,000 people. Where they gather 100,000, I will bring together one million from my party." On 2 June he described the protesters as "çapulcular" ("looters").

On 1 June Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arınç criticized the use of tear gas against demonstrators and stated, "It would have been more helpful to try and persuade the people who said they didn't want a shopping mall, instead of spraying them with tear gas." On 4 June an official tweet summarising new comments by Arınç said "We have been monitoring the non-violent demonstrations with respect." Arınç later apologised for use of "excessive force."

On 2 June it was reported that Turkey's President Abdullah Gül contacted other senior leaders urging "moderation." After the call, Interior Minister Muammer Güler ordered police to withdraw from Taksim, allowing protesters to re-occupy the square. On 3 June Gül defended the right to protest, saying that "Democracy does not mean elections alone."

On 4 June Deputy Prime Minister for the Economy Ali Babacan "said the government respects the right to non-violent protest and free speech, but that it must also protect its citizens against violence."

On 8 June "We are definitely not thinking of building a shopping mall there, no hotel or residence either. It can be... a city museum or an exhibition center," Istanbul mayor Kadir Topbas told reporters.

In a press release on 17 June, Egemen Bağış, Minister For EU Affairs, criticised "the use of the platform of the European Parliament to express the eclipse of reason through disproportionate, unbalanced and illogical statements..." and said that "Rather than allowing this, it would be wiser for the EU officials to put an end to it."

3 July, Cancellation of the planned construction, in Taksim area, that sparked the protests was finally made public. The court order was made in mid-June at the height of the protest but inexplicably not released for weeks.

Conspiracy claims

The government has claimed that a wide variety of shadowy forces were behind the protests. In a speech on 18 June, Erdoğan accused "internal traitors and external collaborators", saying that "It was prepared very professionally... Social media was prepared for this, made equipped. The strongest advertising companies of our country, certain capital groups, the interest rate lobby, organizations on the inside and outside, hubs, they were ready, equipped for this." Erdoğan implicitly included the main opposition CHP in the category of "internal traitors", claiming that three-quarters of protest participants had voted for the CHP, and accusing CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu "of acting like the head of a terrorist organization by calling on the police not to obey orders." Erdoğan also claimed that Taksim protests were linked to the Reyhanlı bombings, and accused the CHP of complicity in the bombings, calling on Kılıçdaroğlu to resign.

In late June it was announced that the National Intelligence Organization was investigating foreign elements in the protests. The Foreign Ministry also demanded "a report detailing which efforts these countries took to create a perception against Turkey, which instruments were used in this process, what our embassies did and what were our citizens’ reactions".

Ankara mayor Melih Gökçek accused Selin Girit, a BBC Turkey correspondent of being a spy.

On 1 July, Deputy Prime Minister Besir Atalay accused foreign agents and the Jewish diaspora of orchestrating the protests. "There are some circles that are jealous of Turkey's growth," Atalay said. "They are all uniting, on one side the Jewish Diaspora. You saw the foreign media's attitude during the Gezi Park incidents; they bought it and started broadcasting immediately, without doing an evaluation of the [case]." A number of Turkish commentators and lower-level officials have accused Jewish groups and others of conspiring to engineer the protests and bring about Erdoğan's downfall. On 2 July, the Turkish Jewish Community made a statement that this was an unfounded anti-Semitic generalization

Police Response

See also: Police brutality § Turkey

Protests intensified after (on the morning of 30 May) undercover police burnt the tents of protestors who had organised a sit-in at Gezi Park. Çevik Kuvvet riot police internal messages compared the events to the 1916 Gallipoli Campaign. Amnesty International said on 1 June that "It is clear that the use of force by police is being driven not by the need to respond to violence – of which there has been very little on the part of protesters – but by a desire to prevent and discourage protest of any kind." By 14 June 150,000 tear gas cartridges and 3000 tons of water had been used. In mid-June Amnesty International said that it had "received consistent and credible reports of demonstrators being beaten by police during arrest and transfer to custody and being denied access to food, water, and toilet facilities for up to 12 hours during the current protests in Istanbul which have taken place for almost three weeks." Hundreds of protestors were detained.

Police officer firing tear gas horizontally at head height. Istanbul, 15/16 June

As protests continued in early June, tear gas was used so extensively that many residents of central Istanbul had to keep windows closed even in the heat of summer, or use respirators and then struggle to decontaminate homes of tear gas residue. Police even water cannoned a man in a wheelchair. The Turkish Doctors' Association said that by 15 June, over 11,000 people had been treated for tear gas exposure, and nearly 800 for injuries caused by tear gas cartridges. On the weekend of 15 June, police action escalated significantly. Police were seen adding Jenix Pepper Spray to their water cannons, and the Istanbul Doctors Association later said that there was "a high but an unknown number of first and second-degree burn injuries because of some substance mixed in pressurized water cannons". On the night of 15/16 June police repeatedly tear-gassed the lobby of the Divan Istanbul hotel, where protestors had taken refuge, causing a pregnant woman to miscarry. They also water-cannoned and tear gassed the Taksim German Hospital.

Doctors and medical students organised first aid stations. In some cases the stations and medical personnel were targeted by police with tear gas, and one medical student volunteer was left in intensive care after being beaten by police, despite telling them that he was a doctor trying to help. Medical volunteers were also arrested. "[Police] are now patrolling the streets at night and selectively breaking ground-floor windows of apartments and throwing tear gas into people's homes. They have been joined by groups of AKP sympathisers with baseball bats." One volunteer medic working at a tent in Taksim Square said that "They promised us that they would not attack our field hospital, but they did anyway, firing six rounds of teargas directly into our tent."

Lawyers were also targeted by police. On 11 June at least 20 lawyers gathering at the Istanbul Çağlayan Justice Palace to make a press statement about Gezi Park were detained by police, including riot police. The arrests of total 73–74 lawyers were described as "very brutal and anti-democratic" by one lawyer present, with many injured: "They even kicked their heads, the lawyers were on the ground. They were hitting us they were pushing. They built a circle around us and then they attacked."

Police action during Gezi park protests in Istanbul. 15 June 2013

There were also reports of journalists being targeted by police, and a Russian journalist "beaten and detained by suspected Turkish intelligence services, as he was taking pictures of empty police cars on Taksim Square". The New York Times reported on 16 June that "One foreign photographer documenting the clashes Saturday night said a police officer had torn his gas mask off him while in a cloud of tear gas, and forced him to clear his memory card of photographs." Reporters without Borders reported eight journalists arrested, some violently, and several forced to delete photographs from their digital cameras.

A spokesman for the police union Emniyet-Sen said poor treatment of officers by the police was partly to blame for the violence: "Fatigue and constant pressure lead to inattentiveness, aggression and a lack of empathy. It's irresponsible to keep riot police on duty for such long hours without any rest."

Counter-movements

Although in most cities there were no counter-protests during the first week, some cities (e.g. Konya) saw minor disagreements and scuffles between nationalists and left-wing groups. When a small group of people wanted to read a statement in front of Ataturk's statue in Trabzon's central Meydan/Ataturk square another small group of far-right nationalists chased them off, the police separated the groups to prevent violence. Nonetheless, during day and night time there were marches and other kinds of protests in the city, but mostly without political banners.

Lists of prominent individuals who had supported the protests (e.g. actor Memet Ali Alabora) were circulated, and images of protest damage circulated under the heading #SenOde ("You pay for it"). The daily Yeni Şafak criticized prominent government critics such as Ece Temelkuran, with a piece on 18 June headlined "Losers' Club".

Hasan Karakaya, an author of the pro-AKP newspaper Akit, wrote about the events going on in Turkey, finding them similar to the latest situation in Egypt, and used the terms "dog" (köpek), "pimp" (pezevenk), and "whore" (kaltak) to describe the protesters.

Casualties

Injuries

Police using water cannons, tear gas to disperse protestors.

A volunteer assists in medical help at Taksim Square.

The Turkish Medical Association reported on 4 June that 4177 people were reported as wounded in Turkey, 43 of these being heavily wounded and 3 in a critical condition. These people, including "a large number of citizens who lost their eyes", were injured as a result of water cannons and close-range shots from tear gas canisters and plastic bullets aimed directly at them. Amnesty International said water cannons had been targeted at peaceful protesters, while "the inappropriate use of tear gas by police has been the most devastating on the safety of demonstrators, causing an unknown number of injuries, including serious head injuries when the canisters hit protestors." Police were reported to have disguised their ID numbers. Human Rights Watch also condemned this misuse of tear gas.

According to a report of the Turkish Medical Association on 15 July, there were at least 8,163 injured people with at least 63 in serious or critical condition and with at least 3 of them having a risk of death.

A total of 14 people as of 14 September, lost an eye due to by tear gas canisters and rubber bullets.

About 200 people received head and brain traumas caused mostly by teargas canisters and baton blows.

According to the Turkish Medical Association, 1 person lost his/her spleen, caused by extreme police violence.

• Sırrı Süreyya Önder, a member of the Turkish Parliament, was hospitalised after being hit in the shoulder by a tear gas canister (31 May).
• Lobna Allami suffered a head injury due to a tear gas canister on 31 May and stayed in a coma for 24 days. Two operations on her brain were required and she suffered from loss of motor control in one arm and speech loss.
• Ahmet Şık, an investigative journalist, known for his vocal opposition to government and prolonged imprisonment, was hit in the head by a tear gas canister; "Onlookers said the canister was deliberately thrown at Şık from a distance of about 10 metres."
• Sezgin Tanrikulu, a noted human rights attorney, and also a member of Parliament from Republican People`s Party (CHP), the main opposition party in the Turkish Parliament, was hospitalized after suffering a mild heart attack caused by exposure to tear gas on 31 May.
• Nasuh Mahruki, professional mountain climber, writer, photographer and film producer was hospitalized with a broken leg on 1 June.
• Volkan Kesanbilici, a 38-year old shop keeper sustained a life-threatening injury when he was hit by a plastic bullet containing hundreds of ball-bearings and lost an eye on 1 June.
• Human Rights Watch reported a student losing an eye after being hit by a plastic bullet.
• Lavna Allani (Lobna Al-Lamii), a student, entered a coma after receiving head and skull injuries. She is recovering but still suffers from paralysis of her right side an vocal chords and has amnesia.
• Reuters photojournalist Osman Orsal, the photographer who captured the iconic "Woman in Red" images, was wounded when he was struck in the head by a tear gas canister.
• 21-year-old university student Başak Özçelik was hospitalized after being severely attacked by police and some civilians armed with batons and rods.
• Reporters without Borders said on 5 June that at least 14 journalists (including Orsal and Şık) had been injured, and documented another three injured on 11 June.
• Berkin Elvan, a 14-year-old boy was hit in the head by a gas canister during the evening protests at Okmeydanı, on 15 June 2013, sustaining severe head injuries.
  • On 31 July, thousands gathered in Taksim Square to support Berkin Elvan and his family and to tell the government to find the responsible of Berkin's injury, while it was planned that the father Sami Elvan was going to make a press statement. Police attacked the protesters and cleared the square, blocking the entries. Some were injured and some were arrested. Then the family made the short statement inside the crowd before the police interference again. Soon after, police interfered again, preventing the family from freely speaking as the crowd got bigger into the İstiklal Avenue. These was criticised as against to the freedom of speech. Member of Parliament from Republican People's Party and also the party's assistant director Sezgin Tanrıkulu was also seen talking to the police to stop the attack but he was manhandled by the police too. During the interference in İstiklal Avenue and Mis Street a police was seen pointing his gun at the protesers. As the protests continued through the night news of lots of injuries and arrests by the riot police have arrived. Turkish media was silent to the protests and demands except the channels like Halk TV, Ulusal Kanal, Cem TV, etc., while the foreign media channels like CNN International, BBC and Reuters put on coverages and at least articles.
• The Jerusalem Post correspondent Igal Aciman reported that his apartment was hit with tear gas grenades shot through the window while sleeping on 16 June. He received only minor burns.
• Sibel Cıngı, a 73-year-old lung cancer patient with a prior lung surgery, was exposed to extreme amount of tear gas inside her apartment after a canister was shot through her window on 16 June, leading to complications such as dyspnea and arrhythmia. International laws and ECHR case law strictly bans indoor use of CS gas in this manner according to Sedat Ergin.
• Mustafa Ali Tombul, a 16-year-old boy, was hit in the head by a gas bomb canister fired at close distance (5–10m), in the day of the re-opening of the Gezi Park (8–9 July), while he was trying to stop his father arguing with another shop owner.
• Several people sustained injuries from gas canisters in Antakya during demonstrations in support of the victim of the protests, Ali İsmail Korkmaz.
• Aydın Ay, a 35-year-old man was hit in his head by a teargas capsule fired by riot police in Dikmen, Ankara on 14 July. It was reported that he had a compression fracture and cerebral hemorrhage.
• Serhat Köksal, Istanbulite multimedia artist known with his own-produced 2/5 BZ and Gözel projects, have fractured both of his arms during the escape away from riot police in Taksim.

Deaths

Deathplace of Ethem Sarısülük in Kızılay, Ankara. Had set as the memorial place in post-40 days.

• Mehmet Ayvalitas was the first known death related to the demonstrations. The 20-year-old Socialist Solidarity Platform (SODAP) member was hit and killed when a taxi drove into a group of demonstrators on an Istanbul highway during an anti-government protest. Huseyin Demirdizen, a board member of the Turkish Medical Association (Türk Tabipler Birliği; TTB) confirmed his death and said four other people were also injured, one of them seriously.
• Selim Önder, an 88-year old musician, was exposed to excessive amounts of tear gas on 31 May while trying to buy souvenirs and died a few days afterwards.
• Abdullah Cömert, 22-year-old youth branch member of the Republican People's Party (CHP) in Antakya, received a head injury in Hatay and later died in hospital. Initial reports described a wound from gunfire, but an autopsy ascribed his death to an injury from an exploding tear gas canister.
• Ethem Sarısülük, a 26-year old human rights activist who worked at OSTIM, died on 2 June; he was reported dead 11 days after he was shot in the head in Ankara by Ahmet Şahbaz, a police officer.
• Mustafa Sarı, a Police commissioner, died on 5 June, falling off a bridge while pursuing protesters in the southern province of Adana.
• İrfan Tuna died in Ankara on 6 June from a heart attack that resulted from overexposure to tear gas.
• Zeynep Eryaşar, a 55-year-old woman with diabetes, died in Avcılar, Istanbul on 15 June, from a heart attack that resulted from the crowd and police pressure.
• Ali İsmail Korkmaz, a 19-year-old student from Antakya, studying in Anadolu Üniversitesi (Anadolu University) in Eskişehir suffered a severe brain injury on 2 June after being attacked by a group that eyewitnesses allege included undercover police. He was confirmed dead in early July. In his autopsy report on 10 July, the cause of death was stated as cerebral hemorrhage caused by violent blows onto his head during the attack. The camera records showing the people attacking Ali İsmail Korkmaz was found in a local hotel, police took the records and shortly after it was told by the court that the videos were irreversibly damaged. although the hotel owner denied this. Later, the "irreversibly damaged" video was uploaded to the internet but according to legal experts it had a cut of 18 to 20 minutes. The prosecutor responsible for the case was changed in the middle of the proceedings after sending the hard disk to the Forensic Medicine Association to clarify whether the camera recordings were deleted by officials. The reason was reported as the judiciary holiday until 1 September by officials. As the investigation continued, the governor of Eskişehir, Güngor Azim Tuna alleged that "mostly civilians were responsible for the death rather than our police". Soon after, new video recordings of the street during the event were found and it was cleared that 4 polices and 4 civilians besides them are responsible for the death. 5 people people including the responsible civilians and a police officer were arrested. The case still continues for these 8 people. Korkmaz's family also applied to the court for an investigation on the Doctor Hasan Gücel who didn't treat Ali without a document from the police at first and sent him home with a painkiller while he was having a brain hemorrhage, stating that he is as responsible as others for the murder. Although, the governor of Eskişehir from AKP, Güngor Azim Tuna, didn't give investigation permission on the doctor. The family decided to apply to the higher courts.

• Ahmet Atakan, a 22-year-old protester taking part in a demonstration in a left-wing stronghold of the Armutlu neighborhood in Antakya, demonstrating solidarity with protests against the illegal road construction through Middle Eastern Technical University's old forest, died from heavy cerebral damage caused by a tear gas canister fired by police at around 2 a.m. on 10 September while Ahmet was on a rooftop. The teargas canisters with bloodmarks were found around his death place and the investigation still continues. Mevlüt Dudu, a Member of Parliament of Republican People's Party from Hatay confirmed the death first on Halk TV even though he was still alive at that moment. Soon after, hospital officials confirmed the death.

• Serdar Kadakal, a 35-year-old tonmeister at a Jazz & Blues Bar in Kadıköy, Istanbul, also living in the district, lost his life on the evening of 13 September 2013 because of a heart attack triggered by extreme inhalation of OC spray and teargas during re-ignited protests of early-September in Turkey in the district of Kadıköy, a district where the mass protests and police brutality took place in Istanbul besides Taksim. There are some opposite allegations about the cause of his death being made by police, too. The autopsy report is still being processed.

Most of those killed were from the Alevi minority.

Missing people

Ümit Kocasakal, head of Istanbul Bar Association,stated in his speech that they received 146 missing person reports (39 women/ 107 men) during the first three weeks of demonstrations. 137 people out of 146 have been found. The remaining 9 people, on the other hand, were still missing as of 25 June.

Torture

On 26 June (United Nations International Day of Fight Against Torture and in Support of Victims of Torture), a common statement was made at the Izmir Bar Association in Izmir. Officers of the Izmir Bar Association (İzmir Barosu), the Contemporary Jurists Association (tr:Çağdaş Hukukçular Derneği), the Turkish Human Rights Foundation (tr:Türkiye İnsan Hakları Vakfı) and the Human Rights Association (tr:İnsan Hakları Derneği) reported that a total of 169 people had applied to the Turkish Human Rights Foundation's treatment and rehabilitation centers because of ill-treatment and police torture.

On 27 June's night, a 31-year-old female named Eylem K., who attended the night's protests in Ankara, was taken into custody by riot police with 10 other people, including a boy under 18. On 28 June, in front of the Ankara Courthouse, she reported that she was subject to violence, sexual harassment and torture in the police car where she was detained. She also stated that she was threatened with rape and torture continued for almost 2 hours in 2 different cars.

Impact

Politics

According to Koray Çalışkan, a political scientist at Istanbul's Boğaziçi University, the protests are "a turning point for the AKP. Erdoğan is a very confident and a very authoritarian politician, and he doesn't listen to anyone anymore. But he needs to understand that Turkey is no kingdom, and that he cannot rule Istanbul from Ankara all by himself." Çalışkan also suggested that the prospects for Erdoğan's plan to enact a new constitution based on a presidential system, with Erdoğan becoming the first President under this system, might have been damaged.

Despite the AKP's support lying with religious conservatives, some conservative and Islamist organizations stood against Erdoğan. Groups such as the Anti-Capitalist Muslims and Revolutionist Muslims they performed Friday prayers (salat) in front of the mescid çadırı (mosque tent) in Gezi Park on 7 and 14 June, one day before the police eviction. Mustafa Akyol, a liberal Islamist journalist, described the events as the cumulative reaction of the people to Erdoğan. Significant conservative opponents of the government include the religious writer İhsan Eliaçık, who accused Erdoğan of being a dictator, Fatma Bostan Ünsal, one of the co-founders of the AKP, who expressed support to protests. and Abdüllatif Şener, the former AKP Deputy Prime Minister, who strongly criticized the government in an interview with the left-wing Halk TV.

Faruk Birtek, a sociology professor at Boğaziçi university, criticized the actions of Turkish police against protesters and likened them to the SS of Nazi Germany. Daron Acemoglu, a professor of economics at M.I.T., wrote an op-ed for the New York Times about the protests, saying: "if the ballot box doesn’t offer the right choices, democracy advances by direct action."

Popular culture

A banner in Gezi Park proclaims: "Joy is laughter of the resistance" ("Neşe direnişin kahkahasıdır")

See also: Chapulling

The music group Duman composed and sang a song called Eyvallah referring to Erdoğan's words over admitting use of excessive force.

The band Kardeş Türküler composed and sang a song called "Tencere Tava Havası" (Sound of Pots and Pans) referring to banging pots and pans in balconies in protest against Erdoğan.

The Taiwanese Next Media Animation satirized Erdoğan over Gezi Protests with 3 humorous CGI-animated coverage series that included lots of symbols from the ongoing protests. These got reaction in the Turkish media too.

Boğaziçi Jazz Choir composed a song named "Çapulcu Musun Vay Vay", satirizing the word Chapulling and played it first in Istanbul subway and then in Gezi Park.

Pop music singer Nazan Öncel produced a song "Güya" (Supposedly in Turkish) criticizing the government and Emek dispute, as "Nazan Öncel and Çapulcu Orchestra".

The Colbert Report host Stephan Colbert had a segment on the protests creating the "autocratic anagram" Pro Gay Centipede Ray for Erdoğan and continued referring to him as "Prime Minister Centipede" multiple times which was criticized by some of the Turkish Media. On the followup segment Colbert interviewed Ömer Taşpınar, a Sabah newspaper columnist.

Internationally known Turkish electropop musician Bedük, composed, recorded and released a song named "It's A Riot" describing the protests and the fight for freedom in Turkey and released an official music video on 28 June, which has been created with all anonymous footages from different parts of Turkey, during the ongoing protests.

Ozbi, a Turkish rapper (and member of the band Kaos), gained national fame by composing and recording a song named "Asi" (Rebel).

Tourism

In 2011, Turkey attracted more than 31.5 million foreign tourists, ranking as the 6th most popular tourist destination in the world. Tourism has been described as "one of the most vital sources of income for Turkey", raising concerns that "unrest would have a dire effect on Istanbul [...] and the larger tourism economy." On 4 June, Hotel and Tourism investors from Istanbul reported that "more than 40 percent of hotel reservations" had been cancelled.

Mark Almond, a visiting professor in International Relations at Bilkent University in Ankara, revealed to Russia Today: "This is a city that has huge numbers of foreign tourists – many of them have been affected, many of them sought medical help. It's a public relations disaster with huge economic implications."

• On 1 June 2013, the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office issued an advisory warning its on citizens to avoid all but essential travel to parts of Turkey close to the Syrian border. Similar advisories have been issued by Canada, New Zealand and Syria.
• A spokesperson for the US State Department was reported to have noted that "the crackdown of the police forces armed with tear gas and water cannons happened in one of the most touristic places where many of the biggest hotels are located, indirectly warning that a travel advisory for U.S. citizens could be issued." On 1 June 2013, the US Embassy in Turkey did indeed issue such a warning that "U.S. citizens traveling or residing in Turkey should be alert to the potential for violence."
• The German Foreign Office issued a warning urging its citizens to avoid affected areas.

Many world renowned and award winning film-makers were in Istanbul for the 2013 Documentarist Film Festival, which had been postponed indefinitely due to the violent reaction of the Turkish authorities to peaceful protests there. The first two days of the festival, 1 and 2 June, did not occur due to the social upheaval and one of the main sites, Akbank Sanat, was unable to show films for an extended period of time due to its proximity to the protests. Petra Costa, the Brazilian director of the documentary film Elena, and Egyptian director of photography Muhammed Hamdy began filming the protests and reporting from the field.

2013 Mediterranean Games Scandals

Since the beginning of the protests, demonstrations had taken place in Mersin, the city which was to host the 2013 Mediterranean Games. Since Erdoğan was due to speak at the opening ceremony of the games, there was speculation that protesters would take the opportunity to embarrass the government. Just 15 minutes after the tickets went on sale online they were all sold to an anonymous buyer and apparently distributed to various AKP organizations. Combined with a boycott by local people of the games, this meant that the stadium was frequently nearly empty. Protestors were prevented from approaching the stadium by riot police, and were evicted from Mersin's Peace Park (Barış Parkı) the night before the games. Tear gas, water cannons and rubber bullets were used against protestors.

Other scandals surrounded the games. Eight Turkish weight-lifters were found with performance-enhancing drugs in their blood and were disqualified. A van belonging to the Games organization transporting staff and athletes was seen in front of a brothel in Mersin.

2020 Summer Olympics Bid

Istanbul mayor Kadir Topbaş gave an interview expressing concern that the police's actions would jeopardize Istanbul's bid to host the 2020 Summer Olympics, saying "As Istanbul's mayor going through such an event, the fact that the whole world watched saddens me. How will we explain it? With what claims will we host the 2020 Olympic Games?" As it turned out, "political unrest" was cited as one of the reasons for the failure of Istanbul's bid to host the Olympics, along with worries about the economy, the Syrian crisis and scandals surrounding the Mediterranean Games.

Economy

On 3 June, Istanbul's stock exchange experienced a loss of 10.5% in a single day—the drop was "the biggest one-day loss in a decade." The fall of BIST 100 index was the sharpest since August 2011, and the yield on two-year lira bonds rose 71 basis points to 6.78 percent, the biggest jump since 2005.Turkish central bank had to auction out and buy Turkish liraaa`s in order to keep the exchange rate going. Next 11 funds have also dropped due to Turkish primeministers non-chalantly opposing views on freedom and democracy

On 6 June, PM Erdoğan said the redevelopment plans would go ahead despite the protests. Shortly after the comments were broadcast, the Turkish stock markets fell 5%.

On 11 June, Rating's agency Moody's warned Turkey that ongoing protests would result in significant credit risks, leading "Istanbul's main share index" to fall an additional 1.7%.

Temporary block of EU accession talks

On 25 June EU foreign ministers backed Germany's proposal to postpone further EU membership talks with Turkey for about four months due to the government's handling of the protests. This delay raised new doubts about whether Turkey should ever be admitted to the European Union. In early June, in comments on Turkey's possible membership, German Chancellor Angela Merkel did not address the compromise proposal but said Turkey must make progress on its relations with EU member Cyprus to give impetus to its membership ambitions.

Turkish Media

See also: Media of Turkey and Media censorship during 2013 protests in Turkey

File:Ntv Van Media for sales.png

This NTV broadcast van has been covered with protest graffiti, in response to the indifference of mainstream media to protests.

Foreign media noted that, particularly in the early days (31 May – 2 June), the protests attracted relatively little mainstream media coverage in Turkey, due to either government pressure on media groups' business interests, or simply ideological sympathy by media outlets. The BBC noted that while some outlets are aligned with the AKP or are personally close to Erdoğan, "most mainstream media outlets – such as TV news channels HaberTurk and NTV, and the major centrist daily Milliyet – are loathe to irritate the government because their owners' business interests at times rely on government support. All of these have tended to steer clear of covering the demonstrations." Ulusal Kanal and Halk TV provided extensive live coverage from Gezi park.

Private Media

"[On the afternoon of Friday, May 31, 2013] CNN Turk was broadcasting a food show, featuring the “flavors of Niğde.” Other major Turkish news channels were showing a dance contest and a roundtable on study-abroad programs. It was a classic case of the revolution not being televised. The whole country seemed to be experiencing a cognitive disconnect, with Twitter saying one thing, the government saying another, and the television off on another planet."

At 1am on 2 June CNN Turk was broadcasting a documentary on penguins while CNN International was showing live coverage of the protests in Turkey. "Many of the protesters complained about the lack of coverage on Turkish television. Some newspapers too were largely silent on the protests: on Saturday morning [2 June], the lead article in Sabah, a major pro-government newspaper, was about Erdoğan's campaign against smoking." Sabah's front page on 2 June did not feature the protests at all, but found space to cover "President Abdullah Gul being presented with a horse during his official visit to Turkmenistan."

On 3 June the TV game show Kelime Oyunu ("Word Game"), on Bloomberg HT TV, hosted by Ali İhsan Varol supported the protests by placing 70 questions and answers (e.g. "gazmaskesi", gas masks) that referred to the protests. A previous attempt to smuggle protest support into other television shows included Kenan Doğulu taking off his top on a Turkish TV show ("Elidor Miss Turkey", Star TV, 31 May) to reveal an "Occupy Gezi" T-shirt.

NTV workers expressing their support for the demonstrators.

On 3 June, thousands of people working in the financial district of Maslak and Levent gathered in front of Doğuş Media Center to protest coverage by Doğuş Holding's NTV, one of the major news channels. NTV was forced to broadcast events live, while protesters chanted "satılmış medya istemiyoruz" ("We do not want media that is for sale"), "Tayyip istifa" ("Resign, Tayyip"), "Her yer Taksim, her yer direniş" ("Taksim everywhere, resistance everywhere"). Some NTV staff resigned in protest at the lack of coverage. The CEO of Doğuş Media Group, Cem Aydın, conceded that the criticisms were "fair to a large extent", and that "Our audience feels like they were betrayed." Shortly after his comments, Aydın left Doğuş Media. Shortly after that, NTV refused to air a BBC World News package on press freedom in Turkey, breaking its partnership agreement with the BBC. The BBC suspended the agreement in response.

On 18 June 2013 Takvim devoted its front page to a fake "interview" with CNN's Christiane Amanpour, in which Amanpour supposedly confesses that CNN's coverage of the protests was motivated by "the express interest of destabilizing Turkey for international business interests". The paper included a small disclaimer on the 14th page, saying "This interview is not real, but what you will read here is real."

State Media and Regulator

On 5 June the Turkish public broadcasting service TRT aired footage of people burning the Turkish flag. The footage was originally aired in 2010 but featured doctored dates, implying the current demonstrations were somehow secessionist in nature.

Later in June the state media regulator RTÜK fined a number of channels (including Halk TV and Ulusal Kanal) "for 'harming the physical, moral and mental development of children and young people' by broadcasting coverage of the Gezi Park protests". Members of RTÜK are appointed by the government, and the fines were approved by the 6 AKP members of the 9-member group, against the 3 votes of the opposition. Hayat TV, which had also given the protests extensive coverage, was ordered to stop broadcasting on 14 June, although RTÜK rapidly reversed its decision in the face of protests.

The state-owned Anadolu Agency provided extensive reporting of protests in London over the G8, and attempted to create a Twitter campaign around the hashtag #occupylondon, which was picked up by AKP supporters.

Social media

An iPhone showing the Wikipedia article for Chapulling, a word reappropriated by protestors.

As a result of the lack of mainstream media coverage, social media played a key role in keeping people informed, with Twitter hashtags #OccupyGezi and #DirenGeziParki ("Resist, Gezi Park") being adopted. In the 12 hours from 4 pm 31 May, there were more than 2 million tweets for the 3 leading hashtags, with 88% in Turkish and 90% of geolocated tweets coming from Turkey. Erdoğan said in a speech that "There is now a menace which is called Twitter. The best examples of lies can be found there. To me, social media is the worst menace to society." A December 2012 Pew Research Center study showed 35% of Turks using social networking sites.

Sixteen people in İzmir and thirteen people in Adana were detained for posting provocative messages on Twitter but were released later. Sabah wrote that some of those people were arrested for tweets about actions like "We've burned Bank Asia", "We destroyed the Körfez training center", "We've burned the FEM training center".

There were reports that the 3G signal in some areas had been turned off; in response, some shops and offices removed security from their Wifi networks. Rumours of censorship led to increasing use of virtual private networks (VPNs) during the protests.

According to The Economist, "Mr Erdogan's perceived enemies" have been "inundated with menacing tweets." These include a correspondent being called a "dirty Armenian" and "a slut".

International reaction

The AKP government's handling of the protests has been roundly criticized by other nations and international organizations, including the European Union, the United Nations, the United States, the UK, and Germany.

Supranational

• The European Commission condemned "all excessive and disproportionate use of force." EU Enlargement Commissioner Stefan Fuele said that Turkey must investigate the excessive use of force by police against anti-government protesters. The European Parliament passed a resolution on 13 June warning against the use of harsh measures against peaceful protesters, adding that those responsible for the police violence must be brought to justice, detained peaceful protestors immediately released and the victims compensated. While the resolution welcomed the moderate response to the protests by President Abdullah Gül and the apologies by Deputy Prime Minister Bülent Arinç, it deplored the unwillingness of the Turkish government and Erdoğan to take steps towards reconciliation, to apologize and to understand the reactions of a segment of the Turkish population.
• The United Nations has expressed concern over reports of excessive use of force by law enforcement officers against protestors in Turkey. According to the UN Human Rights Office Chief Navi Pillay "the excessive force used by the police has led to the broadening of protests to include other aspects of governance, fundamental human rights, freedom of assembly and freedom of opinion and expression".

State

• Austria – Vice-Chancellor and Foreign Minister Michael Spindelegger expressed his concern about the approach of the Turkish Government: "Turkish security forces have shown a shocking level of intimidation and violence against the demonstrators who are mostly peaceful. The Turkish Government must make every effort to ensure appropriate conduct of security forces, respect for human rights and protection of fundamental and civil rights." He also cautioned against criminalising the protests simply because a minority were rioters, stating that "Austria and the EU condemn any form of violence – violence on the part of the protesters included. The allegations made by Turkish politicians recently, however, that the protesters were agitators or even terrorists, are not conducive to de-escalation and represent yet another blow against the respect of freedom of expression."
• France – Foreign Affairs Minister Laurent Fabius assured that "Paris is hoping for calm and restraint" in Turkey, adding that "in democracy, dialogue is a must. This is what [Turkish] president Abdullah Gul called for and what I hope will be implemented".
• Germany – Chancellor Angela Merkel said on 17 June that she was "shocked, like many other people" by the images of police and protesters clashing in Turkey. "There were some terrible images, in which one could see that, in my view, too hard a line is being taken" Merkel stated in an interview broadcast on RTL Television before her departure for the 2013 G8 summit. "What's happening in Turkey at the moment does not in my view reflect our understanding of a freedom to demonstrate, freedom to express an opinion." Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle issued a statement saying that "The Turkish government is sending the wrong message to the country and to Europe with its response to date to the protests. We expect Prime Minister Erdoğan to deescalate the situation, in the spirit of European values, and to seek a constructive exchange and peaceful dialogue" he added, stating that "The images from Taksim Square are disturbing". Ambassadors to both countries were summoned by the respective host foreign ministries over Germany's condemnation of the crackdown.
• Hungary – Prime Minister Viktor Orban on an interview about the Turkish protests: "We wish the Turkish government good luck on stabilising the situation and to be able to continue the work that it has started (and had became one of the most successful country of Europe in the last years)."
• Iraq – Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki affirmed on his website that his government was worried about the security implications of the situation: "We believe that resorting to violence will widen the circle [of violence]...in the region, and we call for restraint" he said.
• Iran – Foreign Ministry Spokesman Abbas Araghchi said that the protests are an internal matter for Turkey to resolve but expressed hope that "the issue would be resolved in a peaceful manner with the prudence of Turkish leaders."
• Italy – Minister of Foreign Affairs Emma Bonino told the Italian Chamber of Deputies that "the unnacceptable use of force and the arrest of 20 lawyers are not acceptable. The right to non-violent protest is a vital pillar of democracy". She added that "the use of force is an expression of weakness" and underscored that "free elections do not in themselves mean democracy. Turkey must decide if it wants to become a mature democracy". Finally, the minister added that "A 'graduation exam' for the Turkish government is taking place in the square and streets...This is perhaps the first serious test of the soundness of Turkey's democracy and its European accession process.".
• Malaysia – Malaysian government announced on 10 June that if violence continued for much longer all Malaysian citizens may be withdrawn from Turkey, with at least 93 nationals in the country (17 of them students), most of them in Istanbul.
• Netherlands – Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans said on 3 June he regretted the excessive police force used against protesters, and voiced support for some of concerns of the demonstraters concerning freedom of speech and media.
• Spain – Foreign Minister José García-Margallo y Marfil requested the European Union not to "try to give lessons" on what to do to resolve the situation an offered the "understanding" and "help" of Spain to that "friendly country".
• Syria – Information Minister Omran Zoubi criticized Tayyip Erdoğan's way of dealing with the mass protests in Turkey, stating: "The oppression of Turkish Prime Minister Erdoğan against nonviolent demonstrations is something that is unrealistic and reveals that he is detached from reality" Finally, he added "If Erdoğan is unable to pursue non-violent means, he should resign." Also, Syrian Foreign Ministry issued a travel warning stating: "The foreign ministry advises Syrian citizens to avoid travel to Turkey for their own safety because of a deterioration in the security situation in a number of Turkish cities,...and the violence of Erdoğan's government against peaceful protesters".
• United Kingdom – The Foreign Office condemned the 'indiscriminate' use of tear gas, adding "We encourage the Turkish authorities to respect the right to peaceful protest and freedom of assembly, which are fundamental human rights in any democratic society."
• United States – State Department Spokesperson Jennifer Psaki expressed concern: "We believe that Turkey's long-term stability, security and prosperity is best guaranteed by upholding the fundamental freedoms of expression, assembly and association, which is what it seems these individuals were doing." United States Secretary of State John Kerry said the U.S. was following the situation closely and was troubled by the reports of excessive force by the police. He also added that his government is "deeply concerned" by the large number of people who have been injured.

Prominent individuals, political parties, and groups

• Linguist Noam Chomsky condemned the Gezi Park crackdown, stating it "recalls the most shameful moments of Turkish history."
• Slovene philosopher Slavoj Žižek delivered his support to the protesters through Bülent Somay who is a member of the Revolutionary Socialist Workers' Party.
• Entertainer Madonna posted her support to the protesters on her Instagram account and British actress Tilda Swinton, American musician Moby, American actor Josh Duhamel, Australian model Miranda Kerr, comedian actor Russel Brand also expressed their support. Ukrainian feminist group FEMEN released a video calling on Turkish women to stand up for their rights via protests.
• Writer Neil Gaiman wished the protesters luck and safety in his blog.
• Former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters posted his solidarity with the protesters on a Facebook page called Roger Waters The Wall. During his "The Wall Live" concert in Istanbul on 4 August 2013, he expressed his support one more time and offered condolences to the protesters in Turkish projecting the pictures of people killed during the protests in the background.
• Folk singer Joan Baez delivered her solidarity stating as “Your voice has been heard everywhere, and I am greeting you now.” during a concert in Fairfax, Virginia.
• Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke posted news supporting the protesters on his Facebook page
• Massive Attack posted an ad that is to appear on The New York Times, crowd-funded by concerned individuals throughout the world.
• Actor & musician Jared Leto (30 Seconds to Mars) also supported the Turkish youth from his Twitter account.
• The International Trade Union Confederation called for members to support the online campaign on LabourStart demanding that the police violence end, protestors be released, and so on. 6,000 union members supported the campaign in its first 24 hours online.
• Gianluca Bollini and Fabio Bollini who are San Marino national football team players supported Turkey from their Twitter accounts.
• American singer-songwriter, poet and visual artist Patti Smith showed her support by an interview.
• New York & Berlin-based publisher Contra Mundum Press expressed their support through posting a text written by the Editors' Platform in Turkey in English, French, Italian, and the original Turkish.
• Some female members of the Italian parliament dressed in red to support the "woman in red" that has come to embody the peaceful protests.
• One or more members of Beirut were in Taksim Square when the "Standing Man" protests happened. They also tweeted pictures from the square and said : "So happy to be in Istanbul right now" from the band's Twitter account.
• During world famous heavy metal band Iron Maiden's 26 July Istanbul concert, thousands of the attendance put banners on the stadium, with the biggest one in English which also parodies Iron Maiden's song Blood Brothers, reading, "From Taksim to Lice, Sao Paula, Tahrir; We are "Blood Brothers". RESIST!". Vocalist Bruce Dickinson first made a speech about artists' concerts being cancelled by organization companies showing the protests as a reason, saying; "We heard that everybody is cancelling their shows. But we are here. Iron Maiden fears nothing." Ten thousands in the stadium shouted slogans like "Everywhere is Taksim. Everywhere is Resistance" in response. Hundreds put on gas masks in reference to Gezi events, during the lyrics "Not a number (one), I'm a free man" of the band's song "The Prisoner", a song about freedom. The most significant event during the concert was the response of Bruce Dickinson and the band to all these protests in the stadium and Turkey. During "Fear of the Dark", one of the most popular songs of Iron Maiden; Bruce Dickinson changed the lyrics and sang, "Istanbul in the dark, Fear of the dark. Fear of the "park"." referring to the Occupy Gezi movement and protests. These got reaction on Turkish and World press.
• On 24 July, 30 academics and celebrities, including Oscar-winning Susan Sarandon, Sean Penn, Branko Lustig, Sir Ben Kingsley, Sir Tom Stoppard, as well as acclaimed Turkish pianist Fazil Say, published a signed open letter to Turkish Prime Minister on the British daily The Times, in which they condemned the crackdown on anti-government protesters and compared giant pro-government rallies organized by Erdoğan to the Nazi rallies staged in Nuremberg to support Adolf Hitler. In response, Erdoğan has threatened legal action against the 30 signatories and the newspaper.

Further reading

• Gokay, Bulent and Xypolia, Ilia (eds.) (2013) Reflections on Taksim -Gezi Park Protests in Turkey. Keele European Research Centre: Keele, UK.http://www.keele.ac.uk/journal-globalfaultlines/publications/geziReflections.pdf

See also

• Taksim Square massacre (1977)
• Republic Protests (2007)
• Environmental issues in Turkey
• Human Rights in Turkey
• Chapulling

External links

• Gezi Park News Updates and Archive, Good Morning Turkey
• Views and Analysis on Gezi Park Protests from Acik Radio
• Livestream hot points camera, Haber medya
• Related pictures and videos from all over Turkey
• ShowDiscontent: A photo archive of the events with explanations and references
• Timeline in multiple languages from socialist blog Sendika
• Blog collecting police abuse
• photo tour of Taksim/Gezi Park camp, BBC
• Tears in Taksim Square, A Poem, Global Poetry
• Taksim Gezi Parkı Canlı Yayın
• Halk Tv Canlı Yayın izle
• everywheretaksim.net, web archive preserving articles, testimonials and other data related to protests in Turkey 2013
• Drawings Occupy Gezi by Gianluca Costantini Template:En icon