Stiu,nu am mai postat de mult timp. Dar asta nu inseamna ca nu sunt inca aici. Nu fac asta foarte des. Cred ca au trecut 2 ani de cand am facut asta ultima data. Nu obisnuiesc sa postez pe blogul personal chestii scrise de altii,insa sunt unele exceptii care trebuie scuzate,din anumite motive. Am gasit pe net o scrisoare a unui tip din Istanbul,postata probabil acum cateva zile. I was deeply touched si vreau sa o cititi si voi. Credeti-ma ca merita !
"To my friends who live outside of Turkey:
I am writing to let you know what is going on in Istanbul for the
last five days. I personally have to write this because most of the
media sources are shut down by the government and the word of mouth and
the internet are the only ways left for us to explain ourselves and call
for help and support.
Four days ago a group of people who did not belong to any specific
organization or ideology got together in Istanbul’s Gezi Park. Among
them there were many of my friends and students. Their reason was
simple: To prevent and protest the upcoming demolishing of the park for
the sake of building yet another shopping mall at very center of the
city. There are numerous shopping malls in Istanbul, at least one in
every neighborhood! The tearing down of the trees was supposed to begin
early Thursday morning. People went to the park with their blankets,
books and children. They put their tents down and spent the night under
the trees. Early in the morning when the bulldozers started to pull the
hundred-year-old trees out of the ground, they stood up against them to
stop the operation.
They did nothing other than standing in front of the machines.
No newspaper, no television channel was there to report the protest. It was a complete media black out.
But the police arrived with water cannon vehicles and pepper spray. They chased the crowds out of the park.
In the evening the number of protesters multiplied. So did the number
of police forces around the park. Meanwhile local government of
Istanbul shut down all the ways leading up to Taksim square where the
Gezi Park is located. The metro was shut down, ferries were cancelled,
roads were blocked.
Yet more and more people made their way up to the center of the city by walking.
They came from all around Istanbul. They came from all different
backgrounds, different ideologies, different religions. They all
gathered to prevent the demolition of something bigger than the park:
The right to live as honorable citizens of this country.
They gathered and marched. Police chased them with pepper spray and
tear gas and drove their tanks over people who offered the police food
in return. Two young people were run over by the tanks and were killed.
Another young woman, a friend of mine, was hit in the head by one of the
incoming tear gas canisters. The police were shooting them straight
into the crowd. After a three hour operation she is still in Intensive
Care Unit and in very critical condition. As I write this we don’t know
if she is going to make it. This blog is dedicated to her.
These people are my friends. They are my students, my relatives. They
have no «hidden agenda» as the state likes to say. Their agenda is out
there. It is very clear. The whole country is being sold to corporations
by the government, for the construction of malls, luxury condominiums,
freeways, dams and nuclear plants. The government is looking for (and
creating when necessary) any excuse to attack Syria against its people’s
will.
On top of all that, the government control over its people’s personal
lives has become unbearable as of late. The state, under its
conservative agenda passed many laws and regulations concerning
abortion, cesarean birth, sale and use of alcohol and even the color of
lipstick worn by the airline stewardesses.
People who are marching to the center of Istanbul are demanding their
right to live freely and receive justice, protection and respect from
the State. They demand to be involved in the decision-making processes
about the city they live in.
What they have received instead is excessive force and enormous
amounts of tear gas shot straight into their faces. Three people lost
their eyes.
Yet they still march. Hundred of thousands join them. Couple of more
thousand passed the Bosporus Bridge on foot to support the people of
Taksim.
No newspaper or TV channel was there to report the events. They were
busy with broadcasting news about Miss Turkey and “the strangest cat of
the world”.
Police kept chasing people and spraying them with pepper spray to an
extent that stray dogs and cats were poisoned and died by it.
Schools, hospitals and even 5 star hotels around Taksim Square opened
their doors to the injured. Doctors filled the classrooms and hotel
rooms to provide first aid. Some police officers refused to spray
innocent people with tear gas and quit their jobs. Around the square
they placed jammers to prevent internet connection and 3g networks were
blocked. Residents and businesses in the area provided free wireless
network for the people on the streets. Restaurants offered food and
water for free.
People in Ankara and İzmir gathered on the streets to support the resistance in Istanbul.
Mainstream media kept showing Miss Turkey and “the strangest cat of the world”.
***
I am writing this letter so that you know what is going on in
Istanbul. Mass media will not tell you any of this. Not in my country at
least. Please post as many as articles as you see on the Internet and
spread the word.
As I was posting articles that explained what is happening in
Istanbul on my Facebook page last night someone asked me the following
question:
«What are you hoping to gain by complaining about our country to foreigners?»
This blog is my answer to her.
By so called «complaining» about my country I am hoping to gain:
Freedom of expression and speech,
Respect for human rights,
Control over the decisions I make concerning my on my body,
The right to legally congregate in any part of the city without being considered a terrorist.
But most of all by spreading the word to you, my friends who live in
other parts of the world, I am hoping to get your awareness, support and
help!
Please spread the word and share this blog.
Thank you!"
