On 31st of May, 2013, masses marched on the streets of Istanbul to protest against unlawful demolition of a small park –Gezi Park– in Taksim square. Alongside the demolition of the park, people also protested police forces’ excessive response to peaceful activists in previous days using tear gas.
In the following days, in more than 50 cities in Turkey, around 2.5 million people took on the streets due to Turkish Government's uncompromising attitude and offensive statements of Turkish PM Erdoğan. While unbalanced growth of construction madness all over the city caused the lost of many green areas in the recent years, a small enviromentalist protest turned into a civil uprising against the government’s anti-democratic policies on secular system and civil rights. The police reaction was harsh. In a couple of days, 4 people died and 12 people lost their eyes because of tear gas canisters aimed directly towards them. Thousands of people were injured and arrested.
On 1st of June, despite the ongoing police violence and casualties, the protestors took Taksim square and occupied Gezi Park. At the heart of Taksim square, an abondoned building –AKM: Atatürk Culture Center– stands. AKM was used as an opera house, as well as a concert hall and a show center. This building had become a symbolic conflict between Islamic AKP government and secular public groups in Turkey. AKM, as one of the biggest culture centers of Istanbul, was closed by the government for rebuilding and renewing purposes, though no renewal action was done at all.
When Taksim square was taken by protestors on 1st of June, an access to this abondoned building was found. The protestors who had been there for concerts or shows years ago were now wandering in the dilapidated flats. It was a symbolic conquest for most of the people. Access to the building triggered something in people's mind: We have to take back what was ours! Our green areas, our buildings, our city and our rights!
These photos were shot in the mood of this insurrection.
We will not surrender.
