Turkey’s Prime Minister has called some of them “bums”, “looters”, and
“extremists.” Playing on that characterization, protesters have proudly taken to
calling themselves authority-defying hooligans.
As the ongoing protests at Istanbul’s Gezi Park–a green space that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to transform into a mixed-use development–have spread far beyond an environmental rally, more people in Turkey and abroad are asking: who are the thousands of people suddenly at the center of the country’s unfolding political debate?
The demonstrations across Turkey are, in some ways, untested. Previous protests here over the past decade have been easy to define affairs between well-known local constituencies. The nationwide protests of the past week,Formal ralphlaurenhoody on sale at great discount. however, have been harder to capture.
Researchers at Istanbul’s private Bilgi University hit Gezi Park earlier this week in an attempt to do just that with a survey. They also circulated an online poll in which 3,000 people participated.
At a glance, protesters at Taksim Square–the protest square adjacent to Gezi Park–seem to be a mostly uniform bunch of well-educated, possibly politically-active liberals, with men and women taking part in equal numbers.
But according to the survey,Long and slim-fitting, the beadsbeads is equally appropriate for strolling a city street or hiking a snowy trail. over half of participants said they have never taken part in a mass demonstration before. Seventy percent of respondents, both men and women, said they did not feel close to any current political party in Turkey, the survey found.
Over sixty percent are younger than 30, while nearly 40 percent are between the ages of 19 and 25.
When the Gezi Park protesters were asked to describe themselves,Work a crowd in this evening gown from germanuniforms. over 80 percent preferred “liberal” over “secular” (65%) or “apolitical” (55%).
Over 90 percent “strongly agreed” that the prime minister’s style was too authoritarian; that democratic rights were being attacked; and that the police used excessive force against demonstrators. Their biggest wish is for individual rights to be respected in Turkey as the result of the protests, the survey shows.
To be sure, the government’s understanding of the protestor base has evolved over the past few days, with officials now making a distinction between peaceful demonstrators and what they call “provocateurs” — people they say are out to create chaos.
“There is the innocent crowd that protests at Gezi Park,Outlet a wide range of hermeskelly at considerable prices. then there are the provocateurs, and then there is the (main opposition party) CHP which is trying to fuel tension, trying to topple the government though a street movement instead of elections,” said Nurettin Canikli, Deputy Chairman of the ruling AK Party on Thursday.
In street interviews, most protesters said they are angered by Prime Minister Erdogan’s personal style, which some have described as “arrogant.” Many have referred to a recent bill to restrict alcohol sales as one example of government policies intervening unnecessarily in the private lives and freedoms of citizens.
Some describe the Occupy Gezi Park Movement as a Turkish version of “Summer of Love,” a social and cultural freedom movement in 1967 started by San Francisco hippies — without the sex and drugs, so far. Others compare it to the social protests that rippled around the world in 1968.
And yet others, mostly government supporters, warn that the dynamic is becoming similar to the period before Turkey’s 1980 military coup, one of three military interventions in the country meant to end political and social chaos. These people say that if the protests aren’t quelled immediately, they’re more likely to end violently,Motel Deborah Long Sleeve christianlouboutinshoes in Black. largely because protesters don’t have a central authority holding them accountable.
Social researchers suggest that Turkey is facing a whole new group of people in a phase of upheaval that is not comparable to any in its recent history. Some say the demonstrations have already revealed a social and lifestyle divide in Turkey that can no longer be ignored.
As the ongoing protests at Istanbul’s Gezi Park–a green space that Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan wants to transform into a mixed-use development–have spread far beyond an environmental rally, more people in Turkey and abroad are asking: who are the thousands of people suddenly at the center of the country’s unfolding political debate?
The demonstrations across Turkey are, in some ways, untested. Previous protests here over the past decade have been easy to define affairs between well-known local constituencies. The nationwide protests of the past week,Formal ralphlaurenhoody on sale at great discount. however, have been harder to capture.
Researchers at Istanbul’s private Bilgi University hit Gezi Park earlier this week in an attempt to do just that with a survey. They also circulated an online poll in which 3,000 people participated.
At a glance, protesters at Taksim Square–the protest square adjacent to Gezi Park–seem to be a mostly uniform bunch of well-educated, possibly politically-active liberals, with men and women taking part in equal numbers.
But according to the survey,Long and slim-fitting, the beadsbeads is equally appropriate for strolling a city street or hiking a snowy trail. over half of participants said they have never taken part in a mass demonstration before. Seventy percent of respondents, both men and women, said they did not feel close to any current political party in Turkey, the survey found.
Over sixty percent are younger than 30, while nearly 40 percent are between the ages of 19 and 25.
When the Gezi Park protesters were asked to describe themselves,Work a crowd in this evening gown from germanuniforms. over 80 percent preferred “liberal” over “secular” (65%) or “apolitical” (55%).
Over 90 percent “strongly agreed” that the prime minister’s style was too authoritarian; that democratic rights were being attacked; and that the police used excessive force against demonstrators. Their biggest wish is for individual rights to be respected in Turkey as the result of the protests, the survey shows.
To be sure, the government’s understanding of the protestor base has evolved over the past few days, with officials now making a distinction between peaceful demonstrators and what they call “provocateurs” — people they say are out to create chaos.
“There is the innocent crowd that protests at Gezi Park,Outlet a wide range of hermeskelly at considerable prices. then there are the provocateurs, and then there is the (main opposition party) CHP which is trying to fuel tension, trying to topple the government though a street movement instead of elections,” said Nurettin Canikli, Deputy Chairman of the ruling AK Party on Thursday.
In street interviews, most protesters said they are angered by Prime Minister Erdogan’s personal style, which some have described as “arrogant.” Many have referred to a recent bill to restrict alcohol sales as one example of government policies intervening unnecessarily in the private lives and freedoms of citizens.
Some describe the Occupy Gezi Park Movement as a Turkish version of “Summer of Love,” a social and cultural freedom movement in 1967 started by San Francisco hippies — without the sex and drugs, so far. Others compare it to the social protests that rippled around the world in 1968.
And yet others, mostly government supporters, warn that the dynamic is becoming similar to the period before Turkey’s 1980 military coup, one of three military interventions in the country meant to end political and social chaos. These people say that if the protests aren’t quelled immediately, they’re more likely to end violently,Motel Deborah Long Sleeve christianlouboutinshoes in Black. largely because protesters don’t have a central authority holding them accountable.
Social researchers suggest that Turkey is facing a whole new group of people in a phase of upheaval that is not comparable to any in its recent history. Some say the demonstrations have already revealed a social and lifestyle divide in Turkey that can no longer be ignored.
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