10th anniversary of Gezi Park protests: Dozens detained in İstanbul's Taksim

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On the 10th anniversary of the Gezi Park protests, commemorative events were held in Taksim, Istanbul. Some of the events were met with police action, resulting in the detention of 59 individuals.

Organized by Taksim Solidarity, a crowd gathered outside the İstanbul Branch of the Chamber of Mechanical Engineers, where a statement was read out. A banner with the words "No one can touch our innocence" was hung on the building. The crowd chanted slogans such as "Gezi detainees are our pride", "This is just the beginning, the struggle continues", and "Erdoğan has no other way but to leave".

The statement highlighted the following points: "On the tenth anniversary of Gezi, we still take pride in that glorious resistance where we stood side by side against bans, unlawful punishments, oppression, exploitation, lies, and all divisive policies, and turned our voices into a roar! With those who say 'I was also in Gezi'... With those who say 'Gezi was our democracy outcry, and that outcry continues to echo in the skies of this country'...

"With those who remember Gezi as the most colorful, vibrant, exciting, and beautiful days of their lives... With those who stand alongside Gezi Park against the politics of profiteering, marketization, and hostility towards women, and who believe in another world that is egalitarian, sharing, and protective of nature and labor, where women take the forefront...

"Despite all the efforts of marginalization and polarization, we stand together with those who show the determination to continue the will to live together without stepping back from their demands and rights, drawing strength from the spirit of unity that Gezi embodied... With women who never leave even a single sister alone, who, despite being objectified and hated by the political powers, are here and will continue to exist with unwavering determination... With LGBTI individuals who display the resolve to be here and persist, even when they are not just ignored but also turned into objects of hatred by the political rulers... With white-collar workers who say 'We are at work during the day and in resistance at night', with workers who transformed all the city's parks into Gezi Park, with the unemployed, with retirees...

"Our demand for a humane, free, fair, and prosperous life, and our quest for rights and justice will always continue."

The Gezi Park protests

Back in 2013, the government had made a controversial decision to reconstruct the artillery barracks from the early 1900s that once occupied the site of Gezi Park, as a commercial establishment.

The proposed project sparked opposition from hundreds of protesters who had taken to the park, one of the few remaining green spaces in İstanbul, setting up tents and organizing sit-ins. The response from the police and municipal authorities was forceful, leading to the burning of the protesters' tents.

As May 31 approached, the protests spread beyond İstanbul, with hundreds of thousands of people engaging in confrontations with the police across the country. Subsequently, the demonstrations transformed into mass protests against the government led by then-Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, engulfing the entire nation.

Official statements revealed millions of people took to the streets and protests took place in 80 out of the 81 provinces in the country, marking it as the largest protests in the history of the Republic. Throughout the course of the protests, 10 demonstrators and one police officer lost their lives.

In April 2022, eight individuals, including human rights defenders, were found guilty of organizing and financing the Gezi Park protests. Businessman and human rights advocate Osman Kavala was sentenced to life imprisonment for the charge of "attempting to overthrow the government." The other seven defendants were found guilty of aiding this attempt and were sentenced to 18 years in prison.

(AS/VK)