Location: i believe, i believe, it's silly, but I believe Gender:
Posted:
Mar 14, 2016 - 6:03am
For those who do not know Turkey, or who distance themselves from these attacks, maybe this will open your eyes.
The bombing this evening occurred in the one of the most crowded parts of the centre of town, next to many bus stops with people waiting to go home, arriving for a night out, and sitting in the park relaxing and drinking tea.
Is is the equivalent of a bomb going off outside Debenhams ...on the Drapery in Northampton, or on New street in Birmingham, or Piccadilly Circus in London.
Can you imagine being there? Can you imagine the place you walk past every day, the bus stops you use, the roads you cross being obliterated.
Can you imagine the victims? The teenagers catching the bus to go home, the grandparents walking into town, the people waiting for a taxi after a long day laughing and socialising in the sun.
Now imagine they were english, and this attack was in England. If these people were instead the people you see every day on your way to work, people just like you and I, normal, happy people. Families, policemen, students, artists, couples. Your friends maybe. These people are no different. They just happen to be Turkish.
Contrary to what many people think, Turkey is not the Middle East. Ankara is not a war zone, it is a normal modern bustling city, just like any other European capital, and Kizilay is the absolute heart, the centre.
It is very easy to look at terror attacks that happen in London, in New York, in Paris and feel pain and sadness for those victims, so why is it not the same for Ankara? Is it because you just don't realise that Ankara is no different from any of these cities? Is it because you think that Turkey is a predominantly Muslim country, like Syria, like Iraq, like countries that are in a state of civil war, so therefore it must be the same and because you don't care about those ones, then why should you care about Turkey? If you don't believe that these attacks in Ankara affect you, or you can't feel the same pain you felt during the Paris or London attacks, then maybe you should stop to think why, why is it that you feel like that. Turkey is an amazing country with truly wonderful people. I have never felt more welcome, more happy, more safe than I do here.
Ankara is my home, it has been for the last 18 months, and it will continue to be my home.
You were Charlie, you were Paris. Will you be Ankara?See More
I'm like a infatuated lover - divane asik gibi de strolling on the streets - dolanirim yollarda girl because of you, darling because of you - kiz senin sebebune yar senin sebebune I've stayed in Ä°stanbul - kaldim istanbullarda
If only your father ask me from my father* - baban beni babamdanda just once - bir kerecik istesun "for God's order - allahin emri ile let her to be my daughter-in-law"** - gelinim olsun desun,
wrap up Karadeniz*** belt around your waist - sar belune belune de karadeniz kusagu girl would you say - e kiz sen de dermisun If only I taken ( means: married with) this boy - alsam ha bu usagi
I'm a bird of high mountain - yuksek dagin kusiyim de I'll perch this cypress**** - selviye konacagim ask me from my father - iste beni babamdan if he won't let, I'm gonna run away (with you) - vermezse kaçacagum
my red shawl, green shawl***** - al salim yesil salim da let's walk around of the world - dünyayi dolasalim you be rain and I cloud - sen yagmur ol ben bulut and then let's get together in maçka****** - maçka'da bulusalim
very cool.. can you fill us in on the background to this?
Istanbul is an awesome city. I was there a month or so ago and there were a couple of guys busking on the ferry across the Bosporus. Really cool.
I'm like a infatuated lover - divane asik gibi de strolling on the streets - dolanirim yollarda girl because of you, darling because of you - kiz senin sebebune yar senin sebebune I've stayed in Ä°stanbul - kaldim istanbullarda
If only your father ask me from my father* - baban beni babamdanda just once - bir kerecik istesun "for God's order - allahin emri ile let her to be my daughter-in-law"** - gelinim olsun desun,
wrap up Karadeniz*** belt around your waist - sar belune belune de karadeniz kusagu girl would you say - e kiz sen de dermisun If only I taken ( means: married with) this boy - alsam ha bu usagi
I'm a bird of high mountain - yuksek dagin kusiyim de I'll perch this cypress**** - selviye konacagim ask me from my father - iste beni babamdan if he won't let, I'm gonna run away (with you) - vermezse kaçacagum
my red shawl, green shawl***** - al salim yesil salim da let's walk around of the world - dünyayi dolasalim you be rain and I cloud - sen yagmur ol ben bulut and then let's get together in maçka****** - maçka'da bulusalim
The militant Kurdish independence group, known formally as the Kurdistan Workers Party, suffered strikes from Turkish fighter jets against its positions in southeastern Turkey — even as PKK-linked forces battle Islamic State militants in and around the Syrian town of Kobani.
Turkey, whose conflict with the PKK stretches back three decades, was reportedly retaliating after shells struck a Turkish military base. Deadly riots have also broken out recently in Kurdish areas of Turkey, fueled by perceptions that the Turkish government has been colluding to undermine Kurdish factions fighting in Syria.
The PKK is officially designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) by the United States. As reported previously by The Intercept, the NSA under both the Bush and Obama Administrations actively aided the Turkish military in targeting this group and has provided intelligence used to kill its members.
However, in yet another ironic twist to U.S. foreign policy in the region, this ostensible terrorist organization is now an important American partner in halting the expansion of the Islamic State, also known as ISIS. The PKK today in part represent the “boots on the ground” in Syria that many observers have said are necessary to any serious campaign to reverse the spread of this group. In other words, the Bush administration’s terrorist group has become the Obama administration’s freedom fighters. (...)
ISTANBUL (AP) — Dense clouds of acrid, choking tear gas may have been blanketing the central square of Turkey’s largest city, but it was penguins that dominated the evening on one of the country’s largest private television stations. Its nature documentary ran uninterrupted, while another channel opted for a cooking show and a documentary on Adolf Hitler.
ISTANBUL (AP) — Dense clouds of acrid, choking tear gas may have been blanketing the central square of Turkey’s largest city, but it was penguins that dominated the evening on one of the country’s largest private television stations. Its nature documentary ran uninterrupted, while another channel opted for a cooking show and a documentary on Adolf Hitler.
Sadly we are driven to be even more polarized with the recent events... Here is a summary of what is happening in Turkey.
" For the past few days, peaceful Turkish citizens have been protesting the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park, one of the few green areas left in the center of Istanbul. The plan by the Erdogan-run AKP government is to build a large shopping... center instead, benefitting his own interests and filling his own pockets.
What started with a mere 100 protestors turned into tens of thousands over the course of a few days. People camped out in the park, sang songs, read books, danced. I was there yesterday and it was heartwarming.
Prime Minister Erdogan made a public announcement two days ago stating, 'We have made up our minds', and that nothing will stop his plans to destroy the park.
He subsequently ordered his police forces to attack protestors in the park using water cannons and tear gas without warning in the early hours of the morning. This has been happening for the past two days, and continues as I write these words. Tents were burned, innocent citizens were dragged away and people had tear gas sprayed directly into their faces.
Innocent people are being attacked, injured and hospitalized. There are unofficial reports of one person being dead with his ID confiscated by officials (an eerie replay of the May 1 attacks when an innocent young girl was put into a coma due to tear gas attacks. This girl was later labeled by the government as a terrorist)
This has become a matter about more than just saving trees. This is an 'I can do whatever I damn well want', fascist mentality that not only supresses but attacks its own people.
To make matters worse, media channels are being censored so as not to display the news.
#direngeziparki is now the 2nd worldwide trending topic on Twitter.
Please be aware and spread the word, It is very important to get international support for us. The message below is a summary of what's happening in my country since 3 days. And this is only one example of how the current government created a country of horror with its police force.
International Human Rights Organizations and Dear Friends, Comrades, Press Members from all over the world;
This is an urgent call from human rights defenders, activists, NGOs, professional chambers, grassroots, neighborhood associations and Istanbulites.
Since the 27th of May, Istanbulites from all social and political backgrounds and ages and from all over the city had been continuing a peaceful resistance in Gezi Park, the city's largest public park, soon to be demolished due to a so-called renewal project. This Project foresees the erection of a big mall (designed as the replica of the once Ottoman Artillery Barracks) in the place of those trees.
In solidarity with the protestors, hundreds arrived in the evening and the occupation movement grew bigger. Right afterwards, the second intervention came early in the morning of May 30th at 5 am. The riot police set fire to the tents and tear gas and pepper sprays were used incessantly, causing serious injuries.
Against this inhumanity and extreme violence, the reaction was the occupation of the park, this time by thousands.
And this morning proved to be the culmination of violence and barbarism that no words can describe, with an unproportional use of force. The exit of the park was blocked by the police, thus locking the group in the park. The protester were then taken under crossfire of tear gas and pepper bombs, nearly getting choked to death. The only way out was by breaking the walls and many were wounded during this escape.
At the moment, brutal intervention against the protestors continues. The group has been pepper-sprayed and tear-gassed once more as they were leaving the area after reading their press call! At the moment, some are in Divan Hotel at Elmadag, having taken refuge there from the effect of the gas attacks.
Literally, almost all of Taksim Area, where Gezi Park is, is tear-gassed and pepper gas-sprayed; especially the side streets around Taksim Square are under clouds of gas.
Dear friends, we believe we need nothing else to add; the scenes talk for themselves.
The resistance for democracy and human rights will not be terminated; we are determined to continue our struggle against a government determined to crush each and every opposition, a government that cannot tolerate even a peaceful opposition for saving trees. The present Turkish government has violated all international human rights conventions and mechanisms it is a party to.
Your valuable support and solidarity will indeed fortify our determination and resistance. Please share this news, name it and shame and blame the responsibles so that this insanity and brutality practiced against human rights defenders can be terminated through international pressure.
Please help us to share this message and stop Erdogan's ruthless, inhumane acts.
As our friends overseas, we need your help. Send this message to everyone you know. Create awareness internationally about our plight, or matters are going to get much, much worse. We want all international media channels - soclal and mass - to report this news.
What you can do: - Forward this message to everyone you know - Send your support messages through twitter with the #direngeziparki hashtag - Tag @bbc @cnn @reuters and other large media channels in these posts - Post this message on facebook - Let your local and national media channels know"
In the name of solidarity and friendship Urban Movements Istanbul / Habitat International CoalitionSee More
very cool.. can you fill us in on the background to this? 
