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An Insider’s View from Turkey: Occupy Taksim

By Severin - 5 min read

2 weeks ago the protests in Turkey started, bringing millions of citizens to the streets to fight for their right of freedom of expression. Istanbul-based Didem Baser wrote a guest blog post for us with an insiders view on the situation.

occupy taksim! at Taksim Gezi Parkı by Didicoi on EyeEm

Since June 1 2013 Turkey has changed its face to the world radically. What started as a protest against the demolition of a public space – Gezi Park – has grown into a nation-wide movement. Millions of citizens are now fighting for their right of free speech and democracy.

Didem Baser, a 29 year old actress from Istanbul, documented the occupy taksim!protests in Istanbul from day 1 on EyeEm. Together with featuring some of her photos we’ve asked her for a hands-on insight on what’s going on in Turkey at the moment.

occupy taksim! at Taksim Gezi Parkı by Didicoi on EyeEm

From Didem Baser:

I never would have tought that I will love battling and find this much intimacy in it. We didn’t have guns to attack and have nothing for defense… We just took our books, instruments and the ones we love with us. And then we took our gas masks… We’ve built up a wonderful world in our little refuge. A library built up with bricks, a hospital built up with tents and a market where money is not needed.

They’ve ATTACKED! They were aware of our rightness so they tried their best to make people believe that they are the right side. They tried to introduce us – the unarmed, peaceful, emvironmentalist and democratic resisters – to the public like we are terrorist with petrol bombs in our hands and it was made by the help of major media channels. These photos were taken in Taksim, during the protests.

Gezi Park was the sparkle, in June 1, we woke up a new day… Then a resistance began. A resistance that me, my friends, our parents have never seen before… A resistance of ordinary people without any leader, a political movement or any political party. And now Gezi Park has become a symbol of our fight against fascism and our demand for democracy.

We are people, we are fighting for our rights, we will win.

The following photos are taken from the albums occupy taksim! and Taksim Gezi Park: