Copenhagen? Hell To The Yeah To The No To The Fucking Yes We Can
If there’s anything that is obvious is that it is of extreme importance to this world and all of its inhabitants that there is a climate deal coming out of the COP15 held in Copenhagen between the 7th and 18th of December 2009. This leaves us only 25 more days to act and persuade our leader to take up their responsibility. They need to make this happen. There can be no excuse whatsoever to have anything else than an agreement on the COP15 itself.
Only Last week in Barcelona our ‘leaders’ were slowly backing out of having this agreement and deal. This whilst they have promised this for the past months and even years. We can not let Copenhagen become what has happened to Bali or Poznan. We nor the world has anything to gain by postponing and postponing an agreement and a deal. We must change climate change. There is no other way.
I think I might need a new brain
Following conversation happened after friends of mine, visiting Istanbul, went to a Turkish bath (also known as hamam).
me: So how was the hamam?
other person: very good, except for the people having sex a bit further in the common room.
me: what y’all went to a male – female mixed hamam?
other other person: no. you know there’s also something like men having sex with each other?
me: ow. right.
You must love me…
It’s such a crazy feeling. Love.
It’s even more crazier if you’re separated by thousands and thousands of miles.
When you’re oceans apart.
But love survives.
One way or another.
You must love me, he said.
You say Peace, I say Hope
Last week the Armenian and Turkish Foreign Ministers signed 2 protocols in Switzerland. Two historical protocols I might add. The protocols include the willingness of the 2 countries to 1) establish again diplomatic connections 2) opening the borders and establishing a committee to research the history between the 2 countries. This is as such a huge step set on the road to peace between the republics of Turkey and Armenia. Therefor it is understandable and very much a positive sign that so many people both in Turkey and Armenia are over the moon with this. It is as such something historically important in the sight of peace. But nonetheless there’s much more work to be done. Work that the Armenian and Turkish republics and their citizens might not be ready to undertake.
The fact that the Armenian Government is under attack by both the opposition in their own country and the Armenian Diaspora all around the world for not being able to let the Turkish republic recognize the Armenian Genocide is a huge strain on this peace process. And of course the fact that the Turkish republic still refuses to recognize anything in relation to the Armenian genocide is more that a strain, it is simply a reluctance to act responsibly towards its past. What this will give in the committee that will be established to research the history between Armenia and Turkey. Nobody knows. There’s only hope for this matter to be resolved
One can also hope that this committee will look into the ‘Turkification’ of many Armenian children during and after the Genocide. This as an undisclosed amount of citizens of today Turkish Republic have been raised under the impression of having the Turkish ethnicity whilst actually their parents or their grandparents were taken from Armenian families and brought up in orphanages or by Turkish families to make them Turkic. Their whole culture and ethnicity was cleared only because that was for the greater good of Turkish Nationalism. These people deserve their past and their culture. Even tough many are still unknown to these historical facts.
As far as the recognizing the mutual affecting past of Armenia and Turkey one doesn’t even have to look for separating issues from over a century ago. One can also just look at the history of only a decade ago; the Armenian and Azerbaijani conflict. There it is clear that the 3 countries have acted from a very etno-centric point of view. Both Turkey and Azerbaijan, under the false impression of sharing the Turkic ethnicity and speaking a similar language, have acted in such a racist and irrational manner towards Armenia that peace between Azerbaijan and Armenia is far from actual reality. This whilst both Turkey and Azerbaijan have an ethnic diversity witch both countries till this day still deny.
This always returning nationalism and etno-centrism is something that puts the peace process in a different light. Or rather in the shadow. And this is truly harming it. It is only a matter of time before this etno-centric and nationalistic again come to the surface and blocks this hope for peace so many carry. And what will happen then? Hope that is scattered? Where will that bring us?
In less than a summer, less than six weeks even, all this will be simple past to you. For now, it’s unimaginable, almost, and yet when it comes – while it’s actually happening in the present tense – none of it really surprises you, not even the thing with the gun.
It’s no more crazy than people without homes taking over one of the city’s dead spaces and using it. It’s just that that was crazy in a good way, and the thing with the gun is crazy in a bad way.
Lane Ashfeldt – California über alles
In Punk Fiction – an anthology of short stories inspired by punk
IMF defol
On the 6th and 7th of October the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank had their annual meeting in Istanbul, Turkey. They discussed changes to be made in the structures and priorities in their core being. Something that was also discussed during the G20 summit held earlier in Pittsburgh, USA.
Whilst so-called world and financial leaders were gathering in the Congress Valley thousands were marching and protesting against them.
Ironically just as Turkeys Prime Minister opened the IMF’s and WB’s meeting addressing change and stating that this new world order also had to listen to the protesters outside his police forces gassed the non-violent and peaceful protest with tear gas.
It was clearly a contradiction between acts and words by a neo-liberal and neo-conservative prime minister trying to shatter every bit of leftish and progressive politics that was left in the nation state that is the Turkish Republic.
But worse than this contradiction is the complete and utter manipulation of the media that was followed after the severe attack on protesters and innocent people on the 6th of October on Taksim Square. The media was sold the story that the police only gassed the protesters on Taksim Square after they provoked the police and ‘leftish groups’ or ‘ civil society groups’ started throwing molotov cocktails. Witch was a complete lie.
It is true that groups of protesters were in a something that resembled a guerilla war with the police. But this only happened after the attack of the police on Taksim Square. Nobody of the protesters on the square was expecting such a brutal attack by the police. We were barely recovering from the happiness of being on Taksim Square, since after the riots of 1979 no political or activist group was allowed to protest on the square itself. And then it happened.
It was clear that the police waited till all the protesters groups arrived on Taksim Square to throw Tear gas bombs into the people. This was so shocking that some protesters have indeed reacted in a violent manner by throwing molotov cocktails and trying to destroy the banks that were located in the main shopping street of Istanbul, Istiklal. But remaining non-violent was not helped by the word on the street that right wing groups were hunting down protesters who fled Taksim after the tear gas attack nor the brutal and violent behavior of the police by randomly arresting and beating people in the streets surrounding Taksim and Istiklal. For hours that area resembled a war zone with activist fleeing, the police shooting tear gas and then beating the people they came across as every person on the streets was perceived as an activist.
Brutal force and violence was executed by both the police and the right wing groups who came to help the police. And this was only the first day. The second day of the IMF and WB meeting things were not better. Protests were provoked and activist were intimidated. With the outcome that again in certain parts of Istanbul riots broke loose. The protests that remained non-violent were under great stress from the police forces as no effort was spared to try and get them to act violent as well.
It is pure irony that as such the real criminals of this world, the cause of todays economical and ecological crisis were inside the Congress Valley, protected by the police force. This whilst they who were protesting the imperial policies of the IMF and WB, the suffering they have caused in the Global South, the adaptation to a global capitalist economy of countries that didn’t need it in the first place, was battered in such a manner. It is also a clear example of how this supposedly New World Order wants to continue. They want to continue on the path of richness for few and poverty for many forgetting any kind of humanity and even the Millennium Goals they themselves signed not so many years ago. I’ve only got one word for this; hypocrisy.
And that’s just what it is. Hypocrisy. The IMF and the WB want to be perceived as democratic entities that do good for the global community and countries that struggle with their economies. But in reality they are just a means for oppression. By the hands of neo-liberal economy. But also by taking away participation, ignoring civil society, oppressing different voices, etc..
It’s the economy stupid. For wealth and well being of few.
Resistanbul 06.10.09
Nuts! That’s the only word I have to describe this day.
What started out as a very pleasant day. Accompanied by a great samba band the group of direnistanbul marched from Tünel square over Istiklal to Taksim square. The march in itself was very amusing as we sang songs, danced and had a great time. Till we came on Taksim Square.
We expected large police barricades preventing us to enter Taksim square. But the square was completely free to enter. Many groups had already entered the square and were listening to speeches of unions. The moment we, the direnistanbul group, entered the square we were the last to enter.
And hell broke loose. The police sealed the square off whilst not only activists were on the square but also normal citizens who expected nothing of such kind. There was even traffic still circulating.
Teargas coming from everywhere and going everywhere. It was the most terrifying moment in my life. Complete chaos. People running without seeing where. People panicking as they couldn’t breath. For a moment I was quite sure i was gonna die. The first time i’ve ever encountered a gas attack. Brutal. I couldn’t see anything. I couldn’t breath. My lungs were on fire. My nose was burning. My skin was fired up. I was in pain. Terrible pain. I lost my friends. I felt lost. People were stumbling over me. Panic. The mere thought that this could happen to a non-violent protest was a shock. And i’m still in shock.
In this shock i stumbled off the square as soon as the massive gas cloud was blown away by the wind and my eyesight minimally returned. I called friends as I felt lost and the police was charging in on the activists.
The sight was terrible. People in pain everywhere. And the feeling was pain as well.
Finally we managed to regroup with some friends and made a run for it. We ran for safety. We ran away from more teargas and violent police that was charging with their sticks and guns. After taking many detours and scary moments we arrived to safety in the Green House.
For hours after the attack on Taksim the whole neighborhood looked like a warzone. Police charging everywhere. Teargas everywhere. The black block anarchist were fighting back. Citizens who didn’t even know what the IMF was got trapped in between. In clouds of teargas. Horrible sightings. Horrible.
News was coming in from everywhere. Twitter was on fire. Text messages kept coming. Phone calls followed. Tanks were suddenly appearing. News of arrests. News of extreme right groups in search of activists to beat up. Police that was beating bystanders taking pictures. A war going on Istiklal. Friends getting arrested.
And that vicious smell of teargas everywhere. Nuts.
The few times I left the Green House to see what was happening left me in a bigger shock. All the news was true. There was violence everywhere. The police state was a reality. Freedom of thought and voicing of an opinion was not permitted. Freaky. Scary.
This is not even close to what could resemble a democracy. This was pure injustice. And out and about. No boundaries. Pure violence. Pure oppression.
I’m not sure if i’ll ever get out this shock. I’m still trembling. My stomach hurts. My skin still burns. My head hurts. My bruises ache. My eyes are swollen. And this hours and hours after the attack.
I’m trashed. Shattered even.
DirenIstanbul/ResIstanbul 04.10.09
All tough some very stupid and biased Dutch television journalist stated at the beginning of the protest that with Turkey being heavily hit by the economic crisis one would expect thousands on the streets to march against capitalism, waving at only 20 people assembled, it turned out a great march with around 200 to 250 protesters.
The protest in itself lasted nearly 2 hours. Marching from Tünel Square over Istiklal till Taksim Square whilst shouting slogans and singing songs. Accompanied by a samba band the mood was great. The reactions from the crowd that was walking through Istiklal was equally great. Fantastic even. Many people cheered and even joined the march. The efforts from the Revolutionary Clowns Army to clean up Istiklal from consumerism and multi-nationals gathered also a great deal of attention.
As was expected the police stayed out of sight when the protesters were marching through Istiklal and were waiting at Taksim Square. As has been for decades, also now protesters were not allowed to enter the Square. Even tough many Turkey based multi-nationals and even football hooligans are allowed to use the square for their celebrations or advertisement no political or non-governmental organisations has had that privilege for over 30 years. A sad and undemocratic fact underlining that no one is truly free in this country. Oppression is just around the corner. Over and over again. And it was proven by the reaction of the police yet again.
As there was a small police corridor blocking the protesters from going up to Taksim Square they continued to play music, sing songs and shout slogans. And as the Samba band retreated for a moment to decide what to do next people continued singing and shouting. Since the police still had not closed the protesters in completely the samba band decided to just walk around them and show up behind the police corridor and that action was soon followed by many. And then it started.
The Police was totallt not prepared for such an action. Luckily for direnistanbul. But acted quickly and formed a new police corridor still not allowing protesters to go on the Square itself. Whilst the samba band continued playing people started dancing against the corridor and trying to push the police for an opening to the square. The Revolutionary Clowns Army declared their love to men in uniform. But nothing could warm the hearts of the apparatus. The police even grew colder and were provoking by pushing protesters with shield and bats back to Istiklal, Only to forget that they were creating a vacuum where yet again the samba band jumped in. Unfortunately the police then decided it was time for teargas. As soon as the flasks were seen by the protesters they backed down. But still continuing to play music, dance and sing. Continuing. Till they were again on Istiklal street.
This was as such only the second manifestation of a whole week of actions against the meeting of the IMF and the Worldbank on the 7th and 8th of October. Many more will come. And many more people will be present. But already the protesters know; the police, my friend, is not your friend. So who knows what will give.
Peace? Ceylan!
One can ask themself why in fucksake the biggest victims of war are always children. Innocent children.
Just this week a 13 year old girl who was herding sheep was shot to pieces by the Turkish army. And shot to pieces you should understand in the most literally manner possible. Her mother spend moments in time collecting the girls legs in a desperate effort to revive her. A heartbreaking effort.
This barbaric act happened in a village close to Diyarbakir, in the heart of Kurdistan. It is a clear and despicable example of how the Turkish state and army treat the Kurds. In their eyes Kurds are really nothing more than animals that can be killed, hunted down or put in inhumane surroundings.
One can not even deny this after this horrendous act of violence.
Even if the Turkish government has spoken out, the last few months, on peace. It has not acted as such and this horrible act by the Turkish army doesn’t promise much. And the question is rather what the answer will be on this murder by the freedom fighters. This whilst many said ‘let this war end now’, there will be a backlash for this despicable murder. And that is very natural as the most innocent of us all has been killed. A child.
