Students from Turkey Join School Strike: We Have No Other Planet
Students from Turkey joined the global school strike upon the call of Greta Thunberg. Atlas Sarrafoğlu, one of the students who joined the strike in İstanbul, has said, “We didn’t go to school today, because school can wait, but climate change doesn’t.”
Initiated upon the call of activist Greta Thunberg from Sweden in August 2018, the global school strikes for climate have been taking place for 30 weeks now. The generation Z from 123 countries went on a global school strike today (March 15) upon the call of Greta.
Listening the call of Greta, students from Turkey also skipped school and came together in the parks of İstanbul, İzmir, Iğdır, Ankara and Bursa. Students made a call to everyone who has played a role in the current global climate change, especially politicians and businesspeople.
In İstanbul, students gathered in Bebek Park in İstanbul at 12 p.m., carrying banners which read, "There is no planet B", "I want a livable world when I grow up" and "Don't play with my future, don't burn coal." They also walked together in the park and sat under the trees.
"We didn't throw plastics in whales' stomachs"
Atlas Sarrafoğlu, one of the students joining the strike in Bebek, also made a speech like his friends. Starting his speech by saying, "Welcome to our school strike," Sarrafoğlu stated the following:
"Today, we, as the youngsters, have come here to show that we are concerned about our future. We didn't go to school today. Because school can wait, but climate change doesn't. Today, it is only cold in İstanbul, but what if there was a flood or what if it was so hot that we couldn't go outside.
"Floods, tornadoes, hurricanes are increasing because of climate change, dams are getting dry due to extreme temperatures, plants are decreasing in number, you have created it. You have created it, you burnt the coal which has led to climate change, you used the oil, you, adults, cut down the forests. We didn't pollute the seas as children, we didn't throw the plastics found in the stomachs of whales, it is not we who erected concrete buildings.
"You like it or not, change has started"
"Scientists say that we have only 12 years left to stop the climate change. We will not die all together 12 years later, but there will be nothing left to do. 12 years from now, I will be 23 years old.
"I am asking to adults: 'What will I do in a world, which is sure to get worse when I am 23? Why should I earn money, get education or dream that I will have a child one day if the world will become a worse place?
"You like it or not, the change has started. The world polluted by adults will be cleaned up by children. Now, we want only one thing from you adults: Don't make this transformation harder or take action immediately."
Samra: "I will be here in May as well"
Samra, who came from Dalyan to İstanbul to join the strike, was in Bebek Park with the banner, "Harry Potter won't come, it fell to lot."
Speaking to bianet after the strike, Samra said, "Before I came here, I didn't expect that it would be so crowded. I am a bit tired, but I am also very happy. We are giving an ear to the call of Greta. It is not too late to save the planet.
"Before I came here, I said to my Science teacher, 'I won't come to school this Friday to support the climate.' My teacher answered, 'Who is Climate?' I am happy to be here. I will also be here in May."
Children ended their strike at 2 p.m. and agreed to come together again in May 2019. (PT/SD)
bianet dış haberler ve iklim krizi editörü. Habertürk ve Vatan gazetelerinde muhabirlik ve politika editörlüğü yaptı. Marmara Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Radyo, TV ve Sinema Bölümü mezunu....
bianet dış haberler ve iklim krizi editörü. Habertürk ve Vatan gazetelerinde muhabirlik ve politika editörlüğü yaptı. Marmara Üniversitesi İletişim Fakültesi Radyo, TV ve Sinema Bölümü mezunu.
Authorities in Niğde's Bor district have detained six suspects attempting to sell a medieval-era mummy, believed to belong to a Christian individual, officials announced.
The the provincial gendarmerie command conducted an operation on Mar 11 in the Kemerhisar town and searched the residence of one of the suspects, identified as H.G., discovering a mummified male figure.
Authorities stated that five additional suspects have been detained and that the investigation is ongoing.
Following the operation, Niğde Governor Cahit Çelik shared footage of the raid on social media, congratulating the law enforcement. "We commend our gendarmerie teams for their dedicated efforts in preserving our country’s cultural heritage and congratulate them on their successful operation. We reaffirm our commitment to safeguarding our historical legacy."
The mummy was determined to belong to a Christian individual from the medieval period, the governor added.
📌Niğde İl Jandarma Komutanlığımız tarafından, kültür ve tabiat varlığı kaçakçılığıyla mücadele kapsamında gerçekleştirilen başarılı bir operasyon sonucunda, Bor ilçesi Kemerhisar kasabasında tarihi bir mumyayı satmaya çalışan şahıslar tespit edilerek yakalanmıştır.
Edip Akbayram, a pioneer of Anatolian rock, dies at 75
A key figure in Anatolian rock and protest music, Akbayram stood out from the 1970s onward with songs addressing social issues. He created a unique style by blending folk music with rock and Western musical elements.
One of the leading figures in Turkey's Anatolian rock and protest music, Edip Akbayram, has passed away at the age of 75 while undergoing treatment at a hospital in İstanbul.
The artist was hospitalized on Jan 9 due to suspected internal bleeding caused by a fall from his bed. He underwent surgery on Jan 10.
İstanbul Provincial Health Director Assoc. Prof. Abdullah Emre Güner announced Akbayram's death late yesterday.
A key figure in Anatolian rock and protest music, Akbayram stood out from the 1970s onward with songs addressing social issues. He created a unique style by blending folk music with rock and Western musical elements.
The artist achieved great success with songs like "Aldırma Gönül" and "Eşkıya Dünyaya Hükümdar Olmaz," earning Altın Plak (Golden Vinyl) awards for these works.
In 1972, he won the Altın Mikrofon music competition with his song "Kükredi Çimenler," gaining widespread recognition. He interpreted works by folk poets such as Aşık Mahzuni Şerif, Pir Sultan Abdal, and Karacaoğlan.
Having won over 250 awards throughout his career, he founded Dostlar Orkestrası in 1974.
Edip Akbayram & Dostlar
With his music shaped by the political climate of the 1970s, Akbayram became an artist embraced by leftist circles. In 1979, he married Ayten Hanım (Akbayram), and they had two children, Ozan and Türkü.
Following the 1980 military coup, Akbayram was among the artists whose music was restricted. Between 1981 and 1988, his compositions were banned from being played on the state broadcaster TRT. One of his most well-known songs was "Bekle Bizi İstanbul," adapted from a poem by Vedat Türkali.
From the 1990s onward, he resumed his career and continued to influence audiences with songs like "Güzel Günler Göreceğiz."
In recent years, he maintained this stance and continued to take a critical position. During the 2023 Turkish general elections, he expressed his opposition to the "one-man" rule and supported the opposition alliance. He consistently spoke out against pressure on artists and stood in solidarity with dissident figures.
He voiced support for those imprisoned in the Gezi Trial, calling for justice, and remained committed to workers' rights on significant days like May 1.
When he received the Friendship Award on the 56th anniversary of the death of poet Nâzım Hikmet Ran, he responded to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's remark calling dissident artists "fake artists."
"They call us fake. I sat at home and took stock: in my 50-year artistic career, I’ve seen 10-12 presidents, 8-10 prime ministers, and countless ministers come and go. The so-called 'artist drafts' are those who refuse to bow down and pursue the truth. I consider this an honor," he said in an interview with T24.
Akbayram in the 1970s.
In a 1995 interview with Express magazine, Akbayram reflected on his rendition of Can Yücel's poem "Bizim Deniz," written for Deniz Gezmiş, a socialist revolutionary executed after the 1970 military intervention, and shared his thoughts on the political climate: "March 12 [1970 military intervention] was a period that subjected our youth, thoughts, books, intellectuals, and, most importantly, our democracy to torture under military rule. The people suppressed by Mar 12 and Sep 12 have yet to fully reclaim their identity and individuality. Young people were lined up like laundry on a clothesline.
Can Baba, with his poet's sensitivity, wrote Mare Nostrum (Bizim Deniz) for Deniz Gezmiş and his friends. This meaningful and honorable poem was beautifully composed by dear Mazlum Çimen, the son of Nesimi Çimen, who was burned alive in Sivas. It was up to me to interpret it.
In the music video, the little boy represents the innocence of Deniz's childhood. The child who played young Deniz Gezmiş is the grandson of Nesimi Çimen, whom I remember with respect. The poem has Deniz Gezmiş’s eyes in it, as well as footage from the protests of the '68 generation. But we couldn't fully express everything we wanted to. When you present something too sharp, society reacts.
I don't know how much it will reach the people. TRT doesn’t air it anyway. Private TV channels are capitalist institutions, as you know. So, we thought we shouldn't make it too sharp but rather deliver our message gradually."
Born on Dec 29, 1950, in Antep, Akbayram passed away on Mar 2, 2025 at around 7.30 pm at the University of Health Sciences Haydarpaşa Numune Training and Research Hospital, where he had been receiving treatment.
Most well-known albums
Edip Akbayram (1974) Nice Yıllara Gülüm (1982) Aldırma Gönül (1984) Dün ve Bugün (1998) Senden Haber Yok (2008)
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