Gezi benim için ne ifade ediyor?*

Gaz ve Duman

Geçen hafta, Türkiye'nin güneyinde bulunan Hatay şehrinde Ahmet Atakan'ın eylemler sırasında hayatını kaybetmesi üzerine İstanbul da dahil olmak üzere Türkiye'nin birçok şehrinde eylemciler yeniden sokaklara döküldü. Gezi eylemlerinden farklı olarak polisle eylemciler bu sefer Anadolu kıtasında bulunan ve tarih içerisinde sol protestolara birçok kez ev sahipliği yapmış, seküler bir semt olarak kabul edilen Kadıköy'de karşı karşıya geldiler. Hükümet eylemcileri sık sık provokatör olarak ilan ederken polisin Kadıköy'de göstermiş olduğu aşırı sert müdahalenin de provokasyona yol açtığı açıktır. Son bir hafta içerisinde polisin bu semtte eylemcilere karşı gerçekleştirmiş olduğu sert müdahalenin, Kadıköylülerin Taksim'deki protestoları desteklemesine yönelik karşı bir atak olduğu söylenebilir. Çünkü önceleri Kadıköylülerin sık sık Taksim'de eylemlere katılmasına rağmen polis, şu ana kadar Kadıköy'de gerçekleştirilmiş eş zamanlı eylemlere müdahalede bulunmamıştı. 

Kadıköy'deki arka sokaklarinda

Diğer yandan Kadıköy’de olanlara dair bilgisayarımdan an be an ulaşarak öğrendiğim bilgileri anlayabildiğim en iyi şekilde Twitter'dan paylaştım. Haliyle bu durum bana kendi mahallemi anımsattı. Çünkü gezi eylemleri süresince benim mahallemde çatışmaların gerçekleştiği başlıca bölgelerden biri haline dönmüştü. Seyahatten döndüğüm günün sabahı polisin Gezi Parkı'nı eylemcilerden geri aldığını öğrendim. Mahalleme döndüğümde TOMA ve biber gazı tüm sokağı kaplamıştı, sanki bir savaş alanıyla karşı karşıyaydım. Endişemi gizleyemiyordum çünkü çocuklu aileler sokakta köşelerde sıkışıp kalmışlardı. Ayrıca mahallenin büyük bir kısmını yaşlılar oluşturuyordu.

Şu anda New Yorktayim ve bu nedenle Gezi eylemlerinden tamamen farklı olarak Kadıköy'de gerçekleşen eylemlerle aramda bir mesafe var ve kendimi koruyabiliyorum. Bu durum Gezi eylemlerinin neden koca bir yazımı işgal ettiği sorusunu kendime sormama neden oldu. Doğrusu durum apaçık ortada, eylemler etrafımda olup bitiyordu. Bu nedenle gece gündüz Gezi olaylarına bizzat tanıklık ediyordum.

Gezi olaylarına karşı bu kadar takıntılı olmamın en bariz nedeni ise İstanbul'un on yıldan fazladır benim evim olmasından kaynaklanıyor. Neredeyse hayatımın dörtte birini bu şehirde geçirmiş bulunuyorum. Her ne kadar düzenli olarak New York'a gidip geri dönsem veya İsrail'e gitsem de İstanbul'da bulunan ve çocuğumun ilk yıllardaki anılarını; el emeği biblolarını ve geçmişten bugüne fotoğrafları barındıran dört duvar ev, yakın arkadaşlarımın ziyarete geldiği ve komşularımla paylaştığım bu apartman benim evim. Birkaç ayda bir gidip gelmeme, 5 kat boyunca bavulu aşağıya inip çıkarmama alışmış olan komşularım. Zamanla ben onlara alıştım, onlar da bana.

Daha önceki yılları ve İsrail'e gidip geldiğim iki kısa seyahati saymazsak Gezi olayları gerçekleştiğinde bir seneden daha fazladır İstanbul'daydım. Hayatı boyunca durmadan ve sürekli göçebe gibi yaşayan biri olarak İstanbul'da bulunduğum bu dönem, hayatımın en huzurlu dönemlerinden biriydi. Ta ki Gezi olayları başlayıp bu sakinliği ve huzuru bir anda bozana dek.

Tüm olay ve kötülüklerin patlak verdiği 31 Mayıs akşamından hemen önce şans eseri kendimi İstiklal'de eve dönüş yolunu ararken buldum. Girdiğim ara sokakların duvarlarında biber gazı kapsüllerinin bırakmış olabileceğini düşündüğüm izler vardı. İstanbul'un sokaklarını çok sevdiğim Tel Aviv'inkilerden çok daha iyi tanıyorum.  New York sokaklarından bile çok daha güzel. İstanbul ile tanışmama karşıma şans eseri çıkan bir iş fırsatı vesile oldu. Kanunlar tarafından yasaklanmayan ve girilmesi engellenmeyen; ait olmak için bir pasaporta veya oturma iznine sahip olmanın gerekli olmadığı sokaklara büyük bir tutkum var. Ancak zamanında kızımı bebek arabasıyla gezdirdiğim, ona bisiklete binmeyi öğrettiğim, yarı sakin Pazar günlerinde gezintiye çıktığım, diğer insanlarla paylaştığım bu sokakları inanılmaz büyüklükteki gaz bulutları altında görmek beni derinden sarstı. 

En çok şaşırdığım durumlardan biri de ikinci evim gibi olmasa da düzenli olarak ve çok severek gittiğim Beyoğlu'ndaki barın çok yakınında gerçekleşen çatışmanın ortasında kalmaktı.  Bar, eylemler süresince bazen geçici hastane görevi görüyordu. Bir haftasonu, plastik mermiyle sırtından yaralanmış bir kadın ve birisi polis tarafından dövülmüş, biber gazı kapsülünün bacağına isabet etmesinden dolayı yaralanan bir eylemci de içeri girdi. Barmen herkesin güvende olduğunu anladığı an kepenkleri tamamen indirerek tüm ışıkları kapadı. Herkeste polisin bir anda içeriye dalıp olası gözaltılarda bulunabileceği korkusu vardı. Diğer yandan eylemler süresince iki kez turistleri çatışmaların ortasından kurtardım. Bir sefer de İstiklal Caddesi'nde her yer biber gazıyla sarılı ve polislerle çevriliyken Mısırlı bir anneyle olanlardan çok korkmuş olan kızını o ortamdan dışarı çekmeyi başardım. Bu durum bana yalnız eylemcilerin değil aslında herkesin güçsüz ve sakat bırakıldıklarını, korku ve öfke içinde olduklarını ancak hiçbir şekilde meydan okumayı elden bırakmadıklarını göstermiş oldu.

Benim için Türkiye'deki siyasetin Gezi'ye karşı olan tutumumla cok az ilgisi var. Kişisel kanaatten çok daha önemli olan bir şey var o da herkesin düşüncelerini engellere takılmadan açıkça ifade edebilmesidir. Bu düşünce ve konuşma özgürlüğüdür. Bu yaralanmış masum insanları savunmak, biber gazından fenalaşan yaşlılara yardım etmek, polisin göstermiş olduğu orantısız güce karşı ayaklanmak, eylemlerde hayatını kaybedenlerin önemsiz olmadığını göstermek demektir. Bir Türk vatandaşı olmasam bile, Gezi olayları bana, neredeyse tüm zamanımı burada geçirdiğim ve gönülden bağlı olduğum bu ülkede yaşananlara karşı kayıtsız kalamayacağımı göstermiş oldu.

Evet, Gezi benim için kişisel, oldukça kişisel bir durum.

*Bu makalle inglizce'den tercüme edilmiştir
http://louisfishman.blogspot.com/2013/09/what-does-gezi-mean-to-me.htm

For my articles on Gezi Park Protests see the following links:

Haaretz

"With One Voice they yelled: Erdogan Resign!" (artilcle appears in entirety on my blog, or Haaretz's website) 

http://louisfishman.blogspot.com/2013/09/with-one-voice-they-yelled-erdogan.html -or-http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.527192

Radikal

"Erdoğan istifa diyenler ne istiyor" (Haaretz'den tercumesi)  http://www.radikal.com.tr/yorum/erdogan_istifa_diyenler_ne_istiyor-1136142

Todays Zaman

"The Twitterization of the Gezi Park Protests" http://www.todayszaman.com/news-319990-the-twitterization-of-the-gezi-park-protests-by-louis-fishman-.html 

"The Gezi Park protests, the Middle East, and the secular-religious divide," http://www.todayszaman.com/news-318406-the-gezi-park-protests-the-middle-east-and-the-secular-religious-divide-by-louis-fishman-.html

Istanbul-Tel Aviv-New York (my blog)

"A Monday night Stroll from Besiktas to Gezi Park," http://louisfishman.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-monday-night-stroll-from-besiktas-to.html 

"Update from Istanbul: Has teargas become a Saturday Night Ritual," http://louisfishman.blogspot.com/2013/07/update-from-istanbul-has-teargas-become.html

הארץ

http://www.haaretz.co.il/news/world/middle-east/.premium-1.2035196  "זה לא רק הפארק: המפגינים באיסטנבול רוצים דמוקרטיה"

===================================

FOLLOW ME on TWITTER @istanbultelaviv for more on whats happening in Turkey and Israel/Palestine, the uprising in Syria, and the Middle East at large.

What does Gezi mean to Me?

Photo of teargas and fire barricades in Kadikoy (photo circulating on net,
 please contact me for accreditation)

Last week, following the death of Ahmet Atakan, a protester in the Turkish southern province of Hatay, people took to the streets in different cities in Turkey including Istanbul.  For the first time since the Gezi protests, the Turkish police crossed the Bosphorus and decided to take on protesters in Kadikoy; a known secular neighborhood, with a history of leftists protests taking place. While the government often tries to characterize the protesters as provocateurs, it should be stated that the Turkish police’s violent clampdown on this neighborhood was blatant provocation; until now, Kadikoy’s protests had been left alone, and its residents often frequented the protests in Taksim. Indeed, the intensity of the police actions on the new turf can only be interpreted as a “payback” for their enduring support of the Gezi Park protests.

During last week, on any given afternoon, my computer was receiving live feeds from Kadikoy, and I was tweeting the information to the best of my knowledge. It sparked memories of the Gezi protests when my neighborhood was one of the centers of clashes between protesters and the police; in fact, the morning after the police finally took Gezi Park back from the protesters, I returned home from a trip to a TOMA (water cannon) and teargas on my street; it looked and felt like a warzone and I worried greatly for all the parents with children stuck there, and the elderly who occupy a great part of the neighborhood.    

On the side streets of Kadikoy
(contact for accreditation)

Now that I am back in New York, I was able to distance myself somewhat from the events in Kadikoy.  This was important since it gave me the chance to ponder on the question why the Gezi Protests occupied most of my summer; indeed, the protests were like a massive wave crashing down on me. Day-in-and-day-out I was living Gezi.      

The most obvious reason I was so fixated on Gezi is the fact that Istanbul has been my home for over a decade; almost a quarter-of-my-life.  Even if I have been commuting back and forth from New York, and at times from Israel (making it a lot easier in terms of distance), my four-walls in Istanbul are my home. They include memories of my child’s first years (her first shoes), a collection of pointless memorabilia (magnets from cities of the world), and artifacts from the past (the long forgotten photo albums). Indeed, this is a personal side that few know about, save for close friends, and of course my neighbors, who see me come and go every few months, as I lug my suitcases up-and-down the 5-floor walk-up.  They have long become use to me, and me to them.

Not like past years however, Gezi happened just as I had been over a year in Istanbul, making only two brief trips to Israel. For someone who has spent his life in a constant nomadic state this truly was one of my most relaxed periods of my life; a year filled with plenty of love and happiness; and, the Gezi protests broke this calm and serenity. 

By chance just before all hell broke loose during the evening of May 31, I found myself on Istiklal, Taksim’s main pedestrian avenue, trying to find a route home and every side street I went down seemed to be drenched with teargas. I know the streets of Istanbul even better than the ones in Tel Aviv, a city I adore, and much better than the ones in New York, a place where I randomly ended up due to employment; a love for the streets is not bound by law and belonging is not based one’s passport or by a resident permit. The same streets I saw under massive clouds of teargas are the very these same streets where I pushed my daughter’s stroller, and where I taught her to ride a bicycle. It is in also these streets I forged love and said farewell to other loves. It is in these streets I regularly take a stroll on semi-serene Sunday evenings. These streets are mine, and I share them with all who walk them.

A surprise to me was that where I encountered the violence up close was actually at my favorite bar in Taksim; perhaps not a second-home but a regular hangout for me. During the protests, it served at times as a makeshift hospital; on weekends, as teargas poured in, so did the injured-a woman injured by a plastic bullet on her back, an activist beaten black-and-blue by police, and a leg injury due to a teargas canister. And, once everyone was in safely the barman quickly brought the shutters down, turned out lights fearing a police raid that could lead to arrests.  Twice I met tourists who took cover there, and once I led an Egyptian mother and her panicking daughter from the bar once the gas settled and across police lines in the midst of battles taking place on Istiklal. For me, this side showed me that when push came to shove the protesters were left powerless, left with wounds, fear, and anger, but nevertheless defiant.  

For me, the politics of Turkey have very little to do with my stance on Gezi; it is much more about a personal conviction that every person has the right to express dissent unhindered; it is about freedom of expression, it is about defending the innocent people who were injured, it is about helping the elderly who fell down due to teargas, it is about standing up against excessive force used by police, it is so that the death of the protesters will not be in vain. Even if I am not a citizen of Turkey, Gezi showed me that I have invested way too much in the country to remain indifferent.

Yes, for me Gezi is personal, very personal.

For my articles on Gezi Park Protests see the following links:

Haaretz

"With One Voice they yelled: Erdogan Resign!" (artilcle appears in entirety on my blog, or Haaretz's website) 

http://louisfishman.blogspot.com/2013/09/with-one-voice-they-yelled-erdogan.html -or- http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-1.527192

Radikal

"Erdoğan istifa diyenler ne istiyor" (Haaretz'den tercumesi)  http://www.radikal.com.tr/yorum/erdogan_istifa_diyenler_ne_istiyor-1136142

Todays Zaman

"The Twitterization of the Gezi Park Protests" http://www.todayszaman.com/news-319990-the-twitterization-of-the-gezi-park-protests-by-louis-fishman-.html 

"The Gezi Park protests, the Middle East, and the secular-religious divide," http://www.todayszaman.com/news-318406-the-gezi-park-protests-the-middle-east-and-the-secular-religious-divide-by-louis-fishman-.html

Istanbul-Tel Aviv-New York (my blog)

"A Monday night Stroll from Besiktas to Gezi Park," http://louisfishman.blogspot.com/2013/06/a-monday-night-stroll-from-besiktas-to.html 

"Update from Istanbul: Has teargas become a Saturday Night Ritual," http://louisfishman.blogspot.com/2013/07/update-from-istanbul-has-teargas-become.html

הארץ

http://www.haaretz.co.il/news/world/middle-east/.premium-1.2035196  "זה לא רק הפארק: המפגינים באיסטנבול רוצים דמוקרטיה"

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FOLLOW ME on TWITTER @istanbultelaviv for more on whats happening in Turkey and Israel/Palestine, the uprising in Syria, and the Middle East at large.

A Monday Night Stroll from Besiktas to Gezi Park

Prelude

Well, after a long week, I left for a week trip abroad. I really hope upon my return that Turkey will have started the path to reconciliation, and wish my condolences to the families who lost members, and a quick recovery to all protesters and police hurt in the clashes. It is truly sad to see a people so divided, and to see a country that was full of hope for most of the last decade to reach such a turning point.

I have spent the last week twittering non-stop, visiting protesters and pro-government factions, hearing what other random people have to say, and trying to understand the complexities of the Turkish society. There is no doubt that the tense moments spent at clashes between the protesters and the police and the exhilarating hours spent at the park (before and after the clashes) have been some of the most interesting in my life. It will take some time for all of us to grasp what exactly happened this week. 

For now, for those interested in reading my thoughts about events leading up to Gezi Park, I will direct you to two articles. The first one was an article I wrote for Todays Zaman, just weeks before the breakout of violence. In this article I outline how the Turkish Prime Minister, RecepTayyip Erdogan, was in danger of losing popular support, entitled, Spring in Turkey: theKurdish initiative, public dissent and dialogue.

Despite most football fans belong to Besiktas, Fenerbahce
and Galatasary  are ever present

For my analysis of the first twenty-fours of the Gezi Park protest and a review of how Erdogan turned from a popular leader to one that is by despised by such a large part of his population, you can read the following article that I wrote for Haaretz’s English and Hebrew edition, entitled With one voice they yelled: Erdogan Resign!  I was happy (and honored) that this article was translated and appeared in Radikal, here is its link.

A Monday Night Stroll from Besiktas to Gezi Park 

protesters preparing for clash with police

During the first two days, my neighborhood of Osmanbey saw two days of clashes, with clouds of teargas seeping in from my balcony, where I witnessed street battles of teargas being shot off by police, pushing demonstrators from Harbiye as far back as Sisli. However, once the police retreated on Saturday night from Taksim, due to the massive amount of protesters arriving, Taksim became a zone free of police, with the protesters quickly building barricades and creating a type of protester controlled free zone. Parallel to this the police abandoned Osmanbey to Taksim, leaving a huge part of the city without any visible police presence (civil police of course are present).   

On Monday evening, equipped with a camera and two friends, I set out to see the neighborhoods that were still subjected to clashes, starting our way in Besiktas, to Akaretler, on to Macka, and finally to find Gezi Park-Taksim controlled zone. These neighborhoods remained under heavy police control due to the fact that within the compound of the famous 19^th century palace, Dolmabahce, is also home to Prime Minister Erdogan’s Istanbul offices. 

protesters. faces blurred to ensure protection.

On our way to Besiktas, we met with a few protesters who had opened their home to protesters who might need to take refuge if police took the offense.  In their house they had emergency supplies, and gladly handed out masks against teargas, and goggles.

Arriving to Besiktas port around 8PM, already the scene was set: people of all ages and backgrounds chanting slogans against Erdogan, with a younger group in the frontline challenging the police. Being in Besiktas was especially important since it is home to the “Carsi” group; die hard fans of the Besiktas Football club, who have captured the support of all the protesters by challenging the police in protests, and gaining respect of its two major rivals Galatasaray and Fenerbahce.

Spraying formula into burning eyes in a 5 star hotel

After playing about 20 minutes of a game of cat and mouse between the protesters and the police, with a water cannon shooting off water and police firing teargas into the crowds, a surprising development occurred: the police and the protesters called a cease fire. As fast as the crowd grew it dispersed, with the youngsters explaining to all that despite the ceasefire battles were still occurring in nearby neighborhoods and to be extra careful. At the moment, I turned to go to the neighborhood to Akaretler along with ten other people who wanted to make it to Taksim.

While most protesters are not affiliated with radical left in
Taksim Square, Communists and Socialists, among other groups
have set up camp. A general feeling of solidarity among all protestes

On the way, onlookers supporting the protest cheered the people making their way through the backstreets, and locals directed us on routes to avoid police forces stationed within the neighborhood even warning about areas where there were groups of civil police. Arriving to Macka, we got a view looking over Besiktas Inonu Football stadium: clouds of teargas covered the landscape as if it was a foggy morning, along with sounds of chaos that left all the onlookers in a moment of awe. 

Looking at Inonu Stadium with hazy teargas cloud

From there we crossed Macka park, crossed over a bridge, and crossed through a small forest making our way up to the barricades. On the way, we saw other protesters crossing the same path back and forth. Once we reached the barricades, we crossed into the protester controlled zone, passing two barricades, and burnt out buses. It was surreal, and before we knew it from the other direction the police succeeded firing teargas right next to the barricade I was at, just next to the Ceylan Intercontinental. It took about one minute for me to go blind from the pain of teargas; within seconds the protesters in charge of cleansing eyes had shot a dose of milky water in my eyes, and held my hand leading me to the lobby of the five-star hotel where I was allowed to rest around with about two hundred protesters.

On top of a barricade coming into Taksim

12:30 AM Taksim Square

If the story was not surreal enough, once I left the hotel, I made my way to Gezi Park that was only a minute walk away from I had been immobilized just minutes beofre, there I met tens-of-thousands of people, chanting slogans, singing protest songs, and camping out in the park. Like the night before, organizers stressed not to leave the park to join protests in other parts of the city since they believed that the police would seize the moment to take back Taksim, and especially Gezi Park. 

Well, after walking through the park, and Taksim Square, meeting with tourists staying at nearby hotels, and watching people dancing halay in a circle, I checked out the burnt out buses, where many Turkish youngsters took photographs as if trying to catch some strange moment in history. Generally tired from the whole week, I made my back way to Sisli, passing across the huge urban renewal pedestrian project, next half-finished tunnels to direct traffic in the future, and freshly laid cement; before the Gezi park protest this had been behind built up walls.

Dancing Halay in the Square

Besiktas football fans take rest on a barriade

From there, I went through the last barricade where three guys were resting on top of it. After crossing the barricade, the cheering and slogans did not stop. Thousands danced, honked horns and beat pots and pans. I imagine that never again in my lifetime will I encounter such an energetic upheaval of feelings of defiance, sadness, happiness, and some fear of what the future might hold. Once home, I took at last look on my balcony and could see that there were renewed clashes; yet, as I turned on the news it became obvious that compared to Ankara, and other cities throughout Turkey, Istanbul seemed as calm as ever.