Mardi 02 Juillet 2013 07:41:13 par Claire Mayer dans Carte Blanche

It all started on May 31. May 31, 2013, Istanbul's people are opposed to the destruction of Gezi Park, located in Taksim, the heart of Istanbul's Istanbul, mobilizing peacefully. A mall project would indeed replace the green space, dear to many residents of Istanbul. Nothing too bad, a pacifist environmentalists gathering with residents, intellectuals, architects ... But this mobilization was not at the taste of the Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government, the Prime Minister of the country.

 

© Barbaros Kayan

 

© Barbaros Kayan

Thus, over the days, was born a repression, and have gone up the revolt of a people weary of his government. Like many, Barberos Kayan, photographer, has followed these events and wanted to testify :  « It was a natural behavior for me to document what happens around me. I was really inside the incidents. I published the photos I shot the first day of clashes on my Facebook page. Then quickly afterwards some friends started calling me to ask the course of events. Many got influenced and came to Taksim to join the resistance; my photos incited people to join the resistance, that was an unbelievable feeling for me ».
However, media censorship has been such that the revolts were few or never mentioned in the local media, much to the annoyance of of Istanbul's. « The Turkish media was turning a blind eye to the clashes, even one news channel broadcasting a documentary on penguins while out it was burning. This censorship provoked me and I started to publish my pictures the fastest possible. I contacted myself foreign media outlets and continued to shoot ».

 

© Barbaros Kayan

 

© Barbaros Kayan

Images of Barbaros Kayan have strength, they are aesthetically great, as well as violent and full of convictions. They do not just witness, document, demonstrate, but they prove a commitment and an unwavering commitment of Turkish people.

These riots reflect a dissatisfaction too long content by  the people towards their government and in particular their Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Instead of calming  tensions that initially remained "reasonable", Erdogan chose to repress forcibly. « The police was enraged and out of control, thus acting very carefuly while working at their proximity. I remember being very scared on some ocasions. The first time while trying to not get hit by the police shooting at us with gas canisters. They were directly aiming at us from a close distance, by chance I managed to not get hit. One canister missed my head and smashed a car's windshield. There was a family in the car. In another incident the police in Besiktas threw tear gas into a residential building. Many people with no protection were inside. Then they tried to break in but renounced as they couldn't open the door. I knew that having a camera in my hand would not give me immunity, I was just thinking about the beating with sticks I was going to get like everybody around me ».

 

© Barbaros Kayan

 

© Barbaros Kayan

As in any demonstration heavily repressed, the work of photographers is not easy, far from it. It is this experience that Barbaros Kayan, who nevertheless went every day on the scene of the clashes. « The revolt was not anymore about trees. It was the people saying enough to the government's arbitrary interventions and legislations. As the popular reaction was growing, the police got more and more violent. Increasing violence then sparked even more reaction. The protests spread to every provinces of Turkey. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdo!an's speeches were provocative instead of being conciliatory. Erdo!an provoked his supporters against the protests but fortunately people did not clash against each others »

A movement that has intensified and has been widely repressed.

 

© Barbaros Kayan

 

© Barbaros Kayan

And what about today ? « After 20 days, protets started to slow down. Now you see very creative ways of protests being performed. People even show their reactions by meeting at a place and standing still. (#standingman) And many popular forums are held in various parks of Istanbul. Everybody can express his or her thoughts on the ongoing situation and make suggestions of steps to be taken in the near future. Of course provocations still happen; for example a young group of AKP supporters raided the forum in Yeniköy. Some of those gathered got beaten. The atmosphere is still tense. On the other hand, the policeman shooting to death the protester called Ethem Sarısülük got freed by the tribunal. The court ruled on not sentencing the policeman. Undemocratic acts like these were the reason for people to get on the street and it seems we will continue to remain there ».


The future is uncertain in Turkey, but it seems that people are not ready to give up. Their quest is far too basic and fundamental to decide, after all what already happened, to abandon. « Turkey has more than one ethnic and political issues but we still have hope for living in a realy democratic country. We only want to live in a free society respectful towards the nature and human rights ».

 

Texte Claire Mayer
Traduction Kenza Chaouni