Turkey Tag

We covered the continuing protests in Turkey yesterday, Protests in Turkey reignite after relatively quiet week. Not so sure I want to visit right now. I hear that dinner in Istanbul may give you gas: https://twitter.com/YigalSchleifer/status/348567191702106112 https://twitter.com/YigalSchleifer/status/348567933267607552 At least it's better than Ankara, where you'll get hosed: https://twitter.com/Nivrep_Te/statuses/348540917218680834...

Turkish riot police fired water cannon to disperse thousands of anti-government demonstrators in central Istanbul on Saturday, as Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan castigated those behind protests he said had played into the hands of Turkey's enemies. The latest unrest in Taksim Square punctured six days of relative calm in Turkey's biggest city, although it was a long way from matching the ferocity of previous clashes there and in other cities that began more than three weeks ago. Demonstrators threw carnations at a phalanx of officers carrying shields who slowly advanced towards them, flanked by water cannon, to clear the square. "Police, don't betray your people!" activists shouted after they had been scattered into streets leading to Taksim. Witnesses said police later used teargas to disperse pockets of protesters on a main shopping street nearby. Hours earlier, Erdogan had told thousands of supporters in the Black Sea city of Samsun that the unrest had played into the hands of Turkey's enemies.

Via Sky News: Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has rallied thousands of his supporters in Istanbul, just hours after a crackdown on anti-government protesters in Taksim Square. The rally came as riot police continued to fire tear gas and jets of water at pockets of demonstrators...

We are covering Turkish police renew assault on Gezi Park protesters. This video stands out (warning, graphic): https://twitter.com/vassdan/status/345991520224149506 I wonder if it will be compared to this video: Probably not, as the whole world is not watching Gezi Park....

Hundreds of riot police surrounded a park in central Istanbul on Saturday, firing tear gas and water cannons in a renewed push by Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to restore order after two weeks of demonstrations that have exasperated his government and exposed the country's deepening political divide. Police forces surrounded Gezi Park shortly before nightfall. They moved beneath sycamore trees toward tents and crowds of hundreds of protesters. Some demonstrators reportedly threw rocks but the dissidents appeared to be overwhelmed by security forces, whose lines spread into adjoining Taksim Square. Ambulances arrived outside the park as tear gas enveloped the trees.

Turkey has ‘no more tolerance’ for violent protest, Prime Minister Erdogan told the parliament. He was speaking as police used water cannons and tear gas to take over Taksim Square in Istanbul from anti-government activists. Erdogan lashed out at the protesters as he was addressing MPs on  Tuesday. In his speech he separated the peaceful protesters  concerned with the development plans at Gezi Park from those in  Taksim Square, who he said are responsible for violent clashes  with police forces. The prime minister blamed the Taksim protesters of injuring  security troops, damaging public property, disturbing public  order and damaging Turkey’s image among international investors. Erdogan’s speech came hours after hundreds of police walked into Taksim Square just after dawn and  used tear gas and water cannons to fend of protesters attempting  to enter it. Police removed protest banners from buildings  overlooking the square. The prime minister hailed the move, which  he described as tearing down “rags”.

But the protesters are expressing steadfast solidarity and refusing to buckle in the face of extreme force and Erdogan's insults. As they band together and grow in number, they've adopted something of a catchphrase, which brings us to the term "çapuling," alternatively spelled in many social media postings as the anglicized "capuling" or "chappuling." The Turkish word "çapul" has many meanings, including pillage; rage; plunder and booty to spoil; foray; root; and maraud, according to the Tureng online translation service. It's unclear exactly where the term originated, but it might be a reference to Erdogan's description of protesters as "looters." The accompanying "Everyday I'm Çapuling!" video is likely designed to disarm the word by showing protesters engaged in non-looting activities that aim to counter his use of the loaded term.... However it got started, the term is taking off in a major way. Twitter users have spread the phrase via hashtags, including #çapuling, #capuling, #chappuling, #everydayimcapuling, #everydayimçapuling and more, and the video has gotten so many views in such a short time that it has triggered YouTube's hit-count-stopping feature.

As Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan returns to his country from a visit to north Africa, protesters will continue to demand his apology for the police crackdown that has responded to the week's raging protests. A police officer died Thursday after falling into an underpass...

It's been somewhat less chaotic at the scene in and around Taksim Square’s Gezi Park in Istanbul, Turkey today, as police forces there retreated some yesterday.  Protesters are said to be cleaning up around the area, many of them chanting and singing.  Meanwhile, some other...

The action in and around Taksim Square’s Gezi Park in Istanbul, Turkey continues today. What started out as a peaceful demonstration over a proposed park demolition earlier in the week has morphed into a broader anti-government protest after Turkish police stepped in.   And it's quite...

While the protests evolved into a full-scale demonstration against Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan (more on that later), they started out much smaller. The peaceful sit-in began on Monday to counter planned construction at the park, which would replace one of downtown Istanbul’s few green spaces with a shopping mall. The scene looks similar to what cities like New York and D.C. experienced during the Occupy protests: large crowds of people milling around, playing instruments and sleeping in tents. [...] Taksim Square is, notably, a loaded place for the Turkish left. In 1977, dozens of protesters were killed in the square when unidentified gunmen opened fire on May Day celebrations. In 2007, police detained nearly 600 after a violent rally in which protesters chanted for Erdogan to resign. And riots broke out again on May Day this year, when hundreds gathered for an anti-government demonstration despite a government ban. The repeated crackdowns, and a growing perception that Erdogan’s government has displayed what the AP calls “increasingly authoritarian and uncompromising tendencies,” have motivated some to call for more mass action. Istanbul’s Hurriyet Daily News reported on Wednesday that Turkey’s main opposition party leader, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, visited Gezi Party and promised protesters that a member of his party would be there every day, supporting them. Protesters reportedly held a sign that depicted Erdogan as an Ottoman sultan. Erdogan, who has been in power since 2003, is both Turkey’s most popular politician and, in the words of the Hurriyet Daily News, “one of the strongest Turkish prime ministers ever.” The protests would have to grow considerably to challenge him: Erdogan has signaled that he plans to run for the presidency when his term expires, and while he isn’t the frontrunner, he’s consistently scored well in approval polls, even winning the people’s choice award for Time’s 2011 Person of the Year. But on social media, at least, the movement against him seems to be gaining momentum. Reuters’ Jonathon Burch reports that thousands of protesters are gathered on Istiklal Street calling for Erdogan to resign. Per this graphic circulating on Twitter, there are Gezi Park solidarity rallies planned in several cities around Turkey, as well as in Helsinki and New York.