Protests in Turkey; Police Terrorism

[stromboli]

http://a.yfrog.com/img877/2511/26jq.png

The front page ad in the NY Times.

[pr126]

Turkey imported 628 tons of teargas and pepper spray in 12 years – report

Turkey has bought $21 million in tear gas and pepper spray – mainly from US and Brazil – over the past 12 years, Turkish media reported. The US is known for its exports of crowd control munitions to countries rocked by widespread protest.

In total, Turkey imported 628 tons of tear gas and pepper spray between 2000 and 2012, Turkish newspaper Sozcu reported quoting Customs and Trade Minister Hayati Yazici.

Turkey is currently being rocked by its biggest wave of anti-government protests in years. At least three people have been killed and thousands injured from clashes with police since the protests began on Friday. Videos and images have emerged on social media showing police in riot gear firing tear gas, using pepper spray and physically beating demonstrators.

Ankara has been criticized for its mass crackdown on the protests and its widespread use of tear gas and pepper spray to disperse demonstrators.

On Tuesday, the UN's human rights office urged Turkey to conduct an independent probe into how its security forces have treated the anti-government protesters. "We're concerned about reports of excessive use of force by law enforcement officers against protestors in Turkey," UN high commissioner for human rights spokesperson Cecile Pouilly said.

[Shiranu]

I know I shouldn't really find amusement in this situation (or any like it) given the gravity, but I thoroughly enjoy protest photography and slogans.

[OtterPop]

Taken from the song "Thrift Shop"
http://instagram.com/p/aJQpAnnig9/#

[Hopist]

Wishing you all the best drunkenshoe, I hope a better situation comes out of this and those two deaths are not in vain.

[AllPurposeAtheist]

I hope these religious nut cases come to their senses and realize their own countrymen and women may not share the same nonsensical beliefs they do and that killing and injuring them only solidifies the hatred toward them..

[OtterPop]

Yeah, I just saw a lot of people saying that protestors were trapped in a building by a group of government supporters. Cops nowhere to be found, of course.

[Colanth]

This is the gate of one of the big media channel buildings. They glued money and shouted we'll give whatever your price to air real news" "Media for sale!" It doesn't mean anything in English when put like this probably, but it's a common heavy insult used Turkish. "You are for sale" Meaning, you don't have any value but just money which is again dead on.

It means the same in English as it does in Turkish, Shoe.  "You''re for sale" isn't a nice thing to say to anyone in English.  About the nicest way it can be taken is to mean "you're a prostitute" (even if said to a man, or about a company).

[Shiranu]

Hmmm... doesn't seem to me like Erdogan really learned too much. Hopefully people will still be pissed off come election day and that this wasn't all for nothing.

[wolf39us]

Shoezy, please don't use the "URL" bbcode in any of your posts without adding the description variable.

For example The Description of link

Otherwise it just stretches out the mobile theme

[Brian37]

//http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22739423

//http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/31/istanbul-protesters-violent-clashes-police

//http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-turkey-protests-idUSBRE94U0J920130531

//http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/31/world/meast/istanbul-protests

Some pics from Washington post.

//http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/protests-in-turkey/2013/05/31/b52b2b86-ca19-11e2-9245-773c0123c027_gallery.html#photo=1

Was that so hard. Now this I will post on my page. Go look.

[Brian37]

//http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-22739423

//http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/may/31/istanbul-protesters-violent-clashes-police

//http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/05/31/us-turkey-protests-idUSBRE94U0J920130531

//http://edition.cnn.com/2013/05/31/world/meast/istanbul-protests

Some pics from Washington post.

//http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/protests-in-turkey/2013/05/31/b52b2b86-ca19-11e2-9245-773c0123c027_gallery.html#photo=1

Was that so hard. Now this I will post on my page. Go look.

Oh yeah, this the problem poser. The WESTERN MAIN STREAM MEDIA LINKS I myself posted a few days ago! We can't get them posted IN WESTERN PAGES! WE needed help to post these links BACK TO WESTERN SOCIAL MEDIA!  

Everyone thank Brian! Alas, we don't have a thank system right now.

I have a last request, Brian. Please don't share, post anything with/to me. Your FB is already blocked.

Dude, I am not going to start a flame war with you. You are in a very bad position, my beef was only that you asked for my help then didn't want any questions about it.

And now I will explain once again, that video was a MIX of many different events. And I also explained to you that our country HAS had our government and police throughout our history do some horrible things to individuals and protestors here. And I explained to you that outcomes to revolts do not always end up the way we want. And when you create a power vacuum you don't have one faction competing for that power you have many.

And there ARE cases where lagit protestors get duped by other protestors of either different factions or government paid to act like protestors to start fights with police so the government can give an excuse to crack down on it. You posted a very simplistic video with a very complex region you live in with multiple events in it. I do agree that the government is leaning in the wrong direction. But we have that problem here too in many places. We have an obstructionist republican party who gave us a very watered down health care bill despite when you ask most people without politics about health care, they want it as much as me, but because of big money and their slick marketing voters get duped. Those same republicans are doing everything they can to turn the clock back on women's rights.

Despite a majority here, the NRA has the government by the balls despite even NRA members we cant get reasonable gun laws that even most gun owners want. We have had voting rights over ridden in Michigan because of Republican "emergency management" laws they put in place, and use them to raid minority locations do pad tax cuts and pay offs to rich developers.

Now, I probably would react the very same way you are to me because you are in it and I am not. You have it worse certainly, but I think there is a lot you are not considering.

Now despite your country's backslide, what you wanted from me was  blind loyalty. But you cannot tell me that every one of your police or military AS INDIVIDUALS or even government officials are all in support of the direction it is going. That would be like accusing me of supporting Bush just because he got elected.

That would like me blaming all police in the entire country here for what happened at UC Davis or for what happened to Rodney King.

Now I told you what the big problem is and that problem IS affecting the entire world. You have wealth, NOT ALL WEALTH but enough that wants instability so that it can make money off the high costs that conflict creates. Just like gun manufactures don't want low crime rates, no crime, no fear, no fear, no ready made solution to sell, less profits.

Oil, Banks and weapons. Global corporatism. Until those monopolies are broken they will create a climate of more poverty and lack of jobs and use ideology to pit us against each other.

Now, this is the last post I will make on this issue.

All I wanted was some back up to that video.

[Thumpalumpacus]

In general, I like when people protest against governments.  I am encouraged when people exercise speech in critique of centers of power.

Best wishes to Turks, and RiP for the slain.

[Brian37]

In general, I like when people protest against governments.  I am encouraged when people exercise speech in critique of centers of power.

Best wishes to Turks, and RiP for the slain.

But what if that population protests to have atheists arrested for blasphemy? Mobs of "protestors" called for the arrest of atheist bloggers in Bangladesh and one was murdered.

Protest is fine, but even in our western society you have different factions seeking power. Be careful what you wish for. We supported Mubarak overthrow hoping for a more secular ruler but got a more right wing ruler. And Jefferson supported the French Revolution but they ended up with Napoleon.

When you deal with a revolution you don't  deal with a monochromatic resistance, most of the time you have several different sects working together until the overthrow but that does not mean that which ever sect ends up on top is going to share power equally with those they worked with.

Sadamn successfully won his revolution only to turn around and oppress everyone else. Gadaffi did the same.

I am for a government that protects protest even from dissenters but maintains a pluralistic government. We have republicans and democrats and Jews and atheists and Muslims serving in our congress and even in our military. That is the only way you prevent fascism from taking hold. But it is under threat by global corporatism.

Our fascism today is not of race or religion but of big money. It is easy to keep people divided with shouts of patriotism, and loyalty. It is much harder whoever wins to maintain that pluralism. All power needs money to be maintained, religion, politics and business.

[Shiranu]

But what if that population protests to have atheists arrested for blasphemy? Mobs of "protestors" called for the arrest of atheist bloggers in Bangladesh and one was murdered.

Dude, what?

"IN GENERAL, I like when people protest against governments.".

I think he is smart enough to not be cheering for atheists being arrested. And since that is not the situation in Turkiye, I don't see how it is relevant. They are not calling for the over-throw of the government, they are asking for the government to LISTEN to them.

And Jefferson supported the French Revolution but they ended up with Napoleon.

You say that like that was a bad thing. Compared to rulers of his time, Napoleon was great and a huge improvement over their aristocracy, improving standards of living, equality for minorities and expanding the empire.