'Everywhere is Taksim!': Turkey uprising is transforming political alliances
How has a protest staged by a handful of concerned citizens over the destruction of Taksim’s Gezi Park, one of the few remaining green spaces in central Istanbul, turned into a mass movement that seeks to redefine democracy?
International pundits have praised Turkey for its economic growth in the midst of recession and upheld it as a political role model for Muslim-majority countries in the wake of the Arab Spring. Yet now for the third consecutive week, crowds gathered in squares and parks of major Turkish cities are defying the riot police and calling the leader of the AKP government party, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, a “sultan” and “dictator.”
How has a protest staged by a handful of concerned citizens over the destruction of Taksim’s Gezi Park, one of the few remaining green spaces in central Istanbul, turned into a mass movement that seeks to redefine democracy?
Reporting from Istanbul, we spoke with several activists partaking in an uprising that is transforming political alliances and democratic practices in Turkey.
On one hand, the accusation of authoritarian governance levelled against Erdogan stems from top-down and at times unlawful development policies of the AKP government. In this context, urban landscapes are undergoing extraordinary change with little civic participation or expert consultation.
Sule is a resident of Taksim who has been involved with the local neighbourhood association. Having seen the struggle for the preservation of the Gezi Park grow into a mass movement, Sule describes the accumulated discontent with the government’s previous urban development projects: the redevelopment of Taksim square in a way that inhibits public protest and May Day celebrations, the destruction of a nearby historical cinema to make room for a shopping mall and the clearing of street performers and animals in the Taksim area.
On other hand, the AKP’s take on development and progress comes together not just with an emphasis on conservative values but with increasing involvement of the state in the private lives of its citizens.