Cyprus-Forum.com

[Tim Drayton]

Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor, Kadir Topbaş, has just come out with a pronouncement that may amount to a face-saving compromise for all sides. Accordingly, no shopping centre, hotel or residences will be constructed, but there may be a city museum. The traffic has already been brought underground in one place and the same can be done here. They are contemplating planting trees in Taksim square. He has spoken with the Prime-Minister and they have agreed that there should be more green space. The Prime-Minister wants to go ahead with Topçu Barracks, but has abandoned the idea of a hotel or mall, and is instead thinking of a museum.

How about that? Gezi Park gets demolished and Erdoğan’s cherished replica of the historic Topçu Barracks gets built (the project that he told his supporters on his return from Africa would definitely go ahead), but traffic is entirely removed from the area now covered by Taksim Square and this gets made into a tree-filled park larger than the existing Gezi Park.

Will this be this the solution that saves everyone’s face?

http://www.radikal.com.tr/turkiye/kadir ... iz-1136794

[Tim Drayton]

Meanwhile the protestors have produced, available online in pdf format, a set of stickers at:

http://mutlukent.files.wordpress.com/20 ... oplu-2.pdf

and a poster articulating their five principal demands at:

http://mutlukent.files.wordpress.com/20 ... 3b6rel.pdf

and are encouraging people to print them out and distribute/display them over the whole country.



http://www.radikal.com.tr/turkiye/gezi_ ... de-1136792

[supporttheunderdog]

Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor, Kadir Topbaş, has just come out with a pronouncement that may amount to a face-saving compromise for all sides. Accordingly, no shopping centre, hotel or residences will be constructed, but there may be a city museum. The traffic has already been brought underground in one place and the same can be done here. They are contemplating planting trees in Taksim square. He has spoken with the Prime-Minister and they have agreed that there should be more green space. The Prime-Minister wants to go ahead with Topçu Barracks, but has abandoned the idea of a hotel or mall, and is instead thinking of a museum.

How about that? Gezi Park gets demolished and Erdoğan’s cherished replica of the historic Topçu Barracks gets built (the project that he told his supporters on his return from Africa would definitely go ahead), but traffic is entirely removed from the area now covered by Taksim Square and this gets made into a tree-filled park larger than the existing Gezi Park.

Will this be this the solution that saves everyone’s face?

http://www.radikal.com.tr/turkiye/kadir ... iz-1136794

Or is it just papering over the cracks?

I get the impression it has moved beyond the issue of the destruction of one of the few green spaces in Istanbul but the crowd might go for it if Erdo was interred in the foundations...

[Tim Drayton]

Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor, Kadir Topbaş, has just come out with a pronouncement that may amount to a face-saving compromise for all sides. Accordingly, no shopping centre, hotel or residences will be constructed, but there may be a city museum. The traffic has already been brought underground in one place and the same can be done here. They are contemplating planting trees in Taksim square. He has spoken with the Prime-Minister and they have agreed that there should be more green space. The Prime-Minister wants to go ahead with Topçu Barracks, but has abandoned the idea of a hotel or mall, and is instead thinking of a museum.

How about that? Gezi Park gets demolished and Erdoğan’s cherished replica of the historic Topçu Barracks gets built (the project that he told his supporters on his return from Africa would definitely go ahead), but traffic is entirely removed from the area now covered by Taksim Square and this gets made into a tree-filled park larger than the existing Gezi Park.

Will this be this the solution that saves everyone’s face?

http://www.radikal.com.tr/turkiye/kadir ... iz-1136794

Or is it just papering over the cracks?

I get the impression it has moved beyond the issue of the destruction of one of the few green spaces in Istanbul but the crowd might go for it if Erdo was interred in the foundations...

I agree, the protests have now moved into a full scale defence of pluralism and the right to chose lifestyles other than those that the ruling regime sees fit to impose. Even so, resolve the Gezi Park issue and the rug is pulled from beneath the feet of the protest movement. Turkey will not be the same place as it was two weeks ago, regardless of whether this happens.

[Maximus]

On Euronews today, they have reported that some of last nights protestors in the Gazi district were throwing petrol bombs at the police. Raising fears the clashes could intensify over the weekend.

http://www.euronews.com/2013/06/08/turk ... -protests/

[Get Real!]

On Euronews today, they have reported that some of last nights protestors in the Gazi district were throwing petrol bombs at the police. Raising fears the clashes could intensify over the weekend.

http://www.euronews.com/2013/06/08/turk ... -protests/

Petrol bombs are a good start until the foreign "aid" starts reaching them.

[Tim Drayton]

The Gazi Quarter has a long history of riots and other events, including the 1995 riots that left 19 people dead. The events there now are something of a sideshow to the main protest movement, which for the most part has resorted to dignified passive resistance and has now articulated a clear set of political demands.

[Tim Drayton]

Istanbul Metropolitan Mayor, Kadir Topbaş, has just come out with a pronouncement that may amount to a face-saving compromise for all sides. Accordingly, no shopping centre, hotel or residences will be constructed, but there may be a city museum. The traffic has already been brought underground in one place and the same can be done here. They are contemplating planting trees in Taksim square. He has spoken with the Prime-Minister and they have agreed that there should be more green space. The Prime-Minister wants to go ahead with Topçu Barracks, but has abandoned the idea of a hotel or mall, and is instead thinking of a museum.

How about that? Gezi Park gets demolished and Erdoğan’s cherished replica of the historic Topçu Barracks gets built (the project that he told his supporters on his return from Africa would definitely go ahead), but traffic is entirely removed from the area now covered by Taksim Square and this gets made into a tree-filled park larger than the existing Gezi Park.

Will this be this the solution that saves everyone’s face?

http://www.radikal.com.tr/turkiye/kadir ... iz-1136794

The protestors on the ground do not seem to be reacting favourably to these proposals.

http://www.cumhuriyet.com.tr/?hn=421630&kn=7&ka=4&kb=7

[Tim Drayton]

The protestors have set up their own Internet-based TV station called "Çapul TV", which is set to start broadcasting live from Gezi Park at 13:00 today, on the following URL:

http://www.capul.tv/

I see that this TV station is now up and running, a bit later than originally announced.

[Kikapu]

Tim,

It is clear that Erdogan is trying to "buy off" the protesters by giving in a little on the Gezi Park (since he can't kill them with the world looking) even if he doesn't mean it and will change his mind again later, but for him to buy some time just so to gets things back to normal, so that he can impose more of his Islamic values on many other issues on the Turks. Erdogan cannot be trusted and I doubt the protesters are going to buy into his insincere offer. In any case, as it has been pointed out by many, including yourself, the protests are no longer about more trees in Gezi Park. It has evolved into protesters demands on democracy and freedom vs Erdogan's dictatorial one man rule. At the moment the democratic western world is on the side of the demonstrators, and rightfully so, therefore the protest will continue for some time yet until something very significant happens in Turkey.