Gezi Resistance turns 11: “The darkness is gone, Gezi remains”
“You can’t judge Gezi.”
The demonstration, under a banner reading “Darkness passes, Gezi remains,” featured slogans such as “Everywhere Taksim, everywhere there is resistance,” “This is just the beginning, keep up the struggle” and “A thousand salutes to the victims.” As the names of those who lost their lives in the Gezi resistance were read out, the crowd shouted “Here,” he yelled. The names of those arrested after the scandalous decisions made in the Gezi incident were read out. And freedom was demanded.
A statement made in front of the TMMOB Istanbul branch in Taksim highlighted the Gezi Park protests as the most democratic mass movement in the country’s history, saying that “the resistance of millions who filled the square symbolized resilience, determination, polyphonic melodies, warm sharing at the table of the earth, brotherhood and hope in its colorful forms.”
“They want to suppress people who speak out against injustice.”
The statement said linking the Gezi Park protests to terrorism cannot be explained by law or conscience, adding that “as in the Kobani and Academics for Peace cases, the aim is to destroy this unity and intimidate” national experts, civil society activists, politicians, women, students and all those who speak out against injustice, “just as they want to suppress the social reflexes that emerged during Gezi with their diverse understandings.”
The statement continued:
“Because it seeks to suppress the social reflexes of Gezi. The group aims to remain indifferent to dozens of issues, from murders to natural genocide, from the May 1 ban on Taksim Square to marketization and corrupt practices in the education and health sectors. Because it seeks to digest the social reflexes of Gezi. To be indifferent to the rights and memory of the workers gasping for breath under millions of tons of Ilici’s soil. It aims to turn a blind eye to the weaknesses, shortcomings and chaos experienced before and after the earthquake that destroyed 11 cities, and, most importantly, to remain silent against the crimes against humanity committed in defense of the government while thousands of people were under rubble.”
The names of those whose imprisonment was agreed upon were mentioned.
The statement also mentioned the names of those who were sentenced to prison in the Gezi Park incident in April 2022, saying that “the aggravated life sentence given to Osman Kabala, who was imprisoned for seven years without a single concrete evidence against him, and the 18-year sentences given to Can Ataley, Tayfun Kahraman, Cigdem Mater and Main Özer, who were illegally sentenced to two years in prison, have been confirmed.”
Governor’s subway ban
In an action reacting to the governor’s subway ban, “Today they are trying to stop transport and prevent us from coming here. They are blocking people from going to Taksim Square on May 1st. It is not a crime to want to go to Taksim Square, to want to celebrate May 1st, to want to commemorate Gezi, to pursue and demand our rights. The crime is to block this. Just like 11 years ago, there is Taksim everywhere, there is resistance everywhere. We were told, ‘You cannot put Gezi on trial.'”
Ahead of the meeting, Istanbul Metro’s Taksim and Şişhane metro stations and the Taksim-Kabatas cable car line suspended operations as of 3:00 p.m. until further notice. The decision was announced as having been made by the Istanbul Governor.
Gezi Park was also surrounded by police and barricades.
