Istanbul Protests
Anyone who is watching the news right now has certainly noticed that Istanbul is currently being affected by a series of escalating, increasingly dangerous protests. What started as a simple environmental campaign over a redevelopment project in Taksim has morphed into a series of violent conflicts with the Erdogan-led government.
Some are suggesting this could be the beginning of Turkey’s version of Tahrir Square, although I find such comparisons awkward as Egypt and Turkey are vastly different countries with entirely different cultures. However, these protests do mean that Istanbul is currently going through a period of unpredictable unrest that is affecting many of the places we recently described in our posts. Ironically, the hotspots are just steps away from where we were staying. You can read more about the situation at the links below:
And it is not only happening in Istanbul, but also Ankara, Izmir and many other big cities in Turkey! And contrary to what the Turkish MP wants us to believe, it is not only some stupid, aggressive leftist youths who are protesting, no, a lot of ordinary people are helping them, providing water and lemon against the excessively used tear gas. Let’s hope that it will soon be possible to have entirely peaceful protests again, as it should be in any decent democraty!