Turkey

holyland red said:
Syria have had elections too. Does that make it any more democratic than Saudi Arabia too? I'm quite sure Saudis are allowed throwing envelopes into empty boxes.
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I'd consider Saudi Arabia to be worse then Syria because of their even stricter limits on women's rights and religious freedom.

Not to compliment Syria of course, but I'd consider the king of saudi to be worse then Assad.
 
Going Turkey tonight. Cant believe my luck. Went to Greece a year ago during a riot. Going Turkey this year during a riot :mad:
 
Where you going? If its just a resort area like Marmaris, Antalya, Bodrum etc you should be fine. Istanbul might still be a little premature though.
 
Kaos said:
Where you going? If its just a resort area like Marmaris, Antalya, Bodrum etc you should be fine. Istanbul might still be a little premature though.
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I will be in Istanbul until Monday then off to Marmaris and finally finish off with Antalya...
 
So riot police went in and cleared the square and the PM has for the moment put a freeze on the development plans there.

AK party also holding counter rallies now as a show of strength.
 
Right...this #OccupyGezi 'movement' is over it seems....People got bored? Police beat downs started to really bite? Lost steam?
 
I think the British media have hyped this riot up somewhat. I was there on holiday for 2 weeks and it wasnt nearly as bad as people over here think.
 
fecking hell. Just when you thought Turkey was somewhat different...

http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/je...-says.aspx?pageID=238&nID=49858&NewsCatID=338

‘Jewish diaspora’ behind Gezi protests: Turkish deputy prime minister says

Foreign powers and the Jewish diaspora have triggered the unrest in Turkey and worked effectively to boost it, Deputy Prime Minister Beşir Atalay said yesterday in the Central Anatolian province of Kırıkkale.

Atalay also said the international media had a big role in "the conspiracy" and had led the unrest “well.” “The ones trying to block the way of Great Turkey will not succeed,” he said.

“There are some circles that are jealous of Turkey’s growth. They are all uniting, on one side the Jewish diaspora. You saw the foreign media’s attitude during the Gezi Park incidents; they bought it and started broadcasting immediately, without doing an evaluation of the [case],” Atalay said.

The Gezi protests started May 31, triggered by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality’s plan to remove a unique green area, Gezi Park, next to the iconic Taksim Square to build a replica of Ottoman artillery barracks and mall.

A sit-in by peaceful protesters turned into mass protests across the country with nearly 2 million people in 79 of the 81 Turkish cities attending, according to Interior Ministry estimates.

The heavy crackdown by the police with tear gas, water cannons and violent tools drew reaction from local citizens and the world. In total, four people including a police officer and three protesters were killed and more than 7,000 people injured, according to the Turkish Medical Association.

Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan repeatedly blamed an “interest rate lobby” and the world media for boosting the protests.
 
Kemal Ataturk was actually a Jew - which is why Turkey is supposedly 'secular' today...Secular being the Jew code word for Anti-God and Pro-Debauchery.

#FACHTS
 
holyland red said:
fecking hell. Just when you thought Turkey was somewhat different...
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hehe, and again. Just like the Saudi vulture and Egyptian shark. They all work for the Mossad...Ziologists

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4410079,00.html

Turkey: Captured bird did not spy for Israel

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X-ray test reveals kestrel with tag reading '4311 Tel Avivunia Israel' not carrying microchips, Hurriyet reports
Ynet

Published: 07.26.13, 14:41 / Israel News
Turkish authorities have "cleared a renegade bird captured in the Ağın district of the eastern province of Elazığ on suspicions of working for Israel's state-of-the-art agency," the Hurriyet newspaper reported Friday.
 
Police killed two people in Yüksekova -FLASH

ANF - HAKKARİ
06.12.2013 20:06:01

Thousands staged a march in Hakkari's Yüksekova district on Friday evening to protest against the ongoing attacks on the cemetery of eight HPG (People's Defense Forces) guerrillas in the Orman neighborhood. Among the demonstrators were also BDP (Peace and Democracy Party) executives, mayors, activists of Peace Mothers Initiative, MEYADER, TUHAD-FED, KURDÎ-DER and Gever Culture and Art Centre.
People marched to the cemetery where they planted PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) and KCK (Kurdistan Communities Union) flags that have recently been removed from the cemetery, allegedly by police officers.
Following a statement by YDG-H (Movement of Patriot and Revolutionary Youth) activists, demonstrators marched to Oslo Hotel outside which MEYADER Yüksekova executive made a statement on behalf of the mass, reacting to the attacks on guerrilla cemeteries.
Police attacked the mass without any warning, using rubber bullets and intense tear gas, and pressure water. Clashes erupted as youths responded to the police attack.
Two people, Reşit İşbilir (35) and Veysel İşbilir (34), were killed as police opened fire on demonstrators. Two men are said to be industrial workers.
http://en.firatajans.com/news/news/police-killed-two-people-in-yuksekova-flash.htm



 
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More from Turkey this evening:
İstanbul today, during Gever protests: #Gever riots have spread to Istanbul. Riot police take cover as protesters shoot fireworks. #GeverdeKatliamVar #GeverdePolisKatliamı #Gewer #BijiSerokAPO

Protests are ongoing regarding the killing of two Kurdish men due to police fire in Gever/Hakkari yesterday, during protests against the ruining the graves of eight HPG (People's Defense Forces) guerrillas in the cemetary. According to Fırat News Agency, police attacked the mass without any warning, using rubber bullets and intense tear gas, and pressure water, while industrial workers Reşit İşbilir (35) and Veysel İşbilir (34) were killed as police opened fire on demonstrators.

Police also attacked the people gathered for the funeral, clashes and tension still going on in Yüksekova, İstanbul and Ankara.
 
So anyone been following the the Turkish election?

Erdrogan's party has taken a bit of a hammering - they've lost their majority vote for the first time in 13 years forcing them into a coalition. Turns out the Sultan's decree for more executive powers for the presidential role, coupled in with Islamist measures to reverse secularism wasn't taken too kindly by the Turkish electorate :)

Also, absolute HUGE result for the Kurds who've finaleld amassed the 10% threshold to be represented in government.

Interesting times ahead!
 
I hadn't realized the extent to which Erdogan was losing his grip. Interesting indeed. I'll be there in a month. Can't wait.
 
Be interesting to see how Erdogan responds, he's not the type to give up easily or magnanimously. Theoretically as President, he should now have minimal involvement in the political process and I would guess there are many within the party who would like to see him phased out. If the AKP's appeal among voters has indeed peaked, then it has happened too soon for him to implement the changes he needed to concentrate all power in his hands, and he's left with two options - accept what's happened (can't see it) or continue and even escalate the kind of tactics he's become notorious for in recent years (attacks on the media and judiciary, election fraud, etc.) which in turn could split the country - certainly any attempts to undermine the HDP's gains will provoke trouble in the south-east and probably Istanbul and Ankara as well.
 
I was in Istanbul last Summer and a lot of the locals were annoyed because he'd banned drinking within 100 metres of a mosque or school, which made it technically illegal through much of the city. I imagine if he's pissing off the young urban population whilst the Kurdish vote turned out the result was sort of to be expected.
 
Devlet Bahceli (MHP leader, nationalist party) won't form a coalition with the HDP nor the AKP. They have fewer objections about working with the CHP, but that's not good enough. I suppose we're heading for another election.

The situation could be better, but, if nothing else, the election was conclusive evidence that very few people want Erdogan to be the president he so desperately craves to be.
 
Fener1907 said:
Devlet Bahceli (MHP leader, nationalist party) won't form a coalition with the HDP nor the AKP. They have fewer objections about working with the CHP, but that's not good enough. I suppose we're heading for another election.

The situation could be better, but, if nothing else, the election was conclusive evidence that very few people want Erdogan to be the president he so desperately craves to be.
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Where is Erdogan and the AKP getting their support from? I assume its the conservative heartland in the Turkish countryside? I don't see him being popular in cities and urban areas.
 
Kaos said:
Where is Erdogan and the AKP getting their support from? I assume its the conservative heartland in the Turkish countryside? I don't see him being popular in cities and urban areas.
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It's not quite so straightforward in Turkey. It's more a case of central Anatolia (AKP) against the west coast (CHP), although not strictly. For example, the AKP have majorities in Istanbul and Ankara, and they also have decent support in other cities around the country. People from the countryside have flooded into the cities in recent years, allowing them to maintain their support there, so they're not CHP strongholds like you might expect. They also benefited for many years from a sizable Kurdish support, but that appears to have waned in recent years.
 
Excellent election result for multiple reasons.

(Hopefully) the end of Erdogan's attempts to introduce a presidential system. The election of the Kurds as a whole bloc (with the support of many others in the country and their interesting candidates), the election of more women than ever before and the going by of a fair electoral process in which the ruling party did not do what it wanted and hopefully stop the ridiculous comparison of Erdogan to leaders like Putin or the Saudis, who clearly would have not have presided over anything like this.
 
africanspur said:
Excellent election result for multiple reasons.

(Hopefully) the end of Erdogan's attempts to introduce a presidential system. The election of the Kurds as a whole bloc (with the support of many others in the country and their interesting candidates), the election of more women than ever before and the going by of a fair electoral process in which the ruling party did not do what it wanted and hopefully stop the ridiculous comparison of Erdogan to leaders like Putin or the Saudis, who clearly would have not have presided over anything like this.
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Funny you should mention them:

Erdoğan claims Saudi Arabia governed by presidential system
http://www.todayszaman.com/anasayfa...a-governed-by-presidential-system_381724.html

I see today that, as YPG forces are closing in on ISIS positions around Tel Abyad (something 99% of us should be happy about), Erdogan is warning of the dangers presented to Turkey by the Kurdish capture of the city and border crossing.
 
Even within the AKP, there's little support for him to become a president with powers. It just won't happen, and his rhetoric following the election suggests he's aware of this. Soft-hand Recep is back, but we know he's still full of shit.
 
Fener1907 said:
Even within the AKP, there's little support for him to become a president with powers. It just won't happen, and his rhetoric following the election suggests he's aware of this. Soft-hand Recep is back, but we know he's still full of shit.
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So what's the deal then? Have the AKP managed to coerce anyone into a coalition yet?
 
Kaos said:
So what's the deal then? Have the AKP managed to coerce anyone into a coalition yet?
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No idea. Just seems to be deadlocked at the moment. I could tell you a list of possible outcomes, but that's all it is, a list.

I don't live in Turkey anymore, so that's not helpful for staying in the know.
 
Some reports coming through that Turkish troops have (finally) entered Syria.
 
Just tweets for the moment:







There's a load more reporting that IS killed a Turkish soldier in a cross border attack, and the Turks are going in. Naturally Kurdish sources are skeptical.
 
The Indian intelligence increased the security of the turks here based on intel that isis would try to kill the ambassador.
 
I'm addicted to a couple of things we discovered in Turkey, Menemen & sour cherry juice - luckily I can find them here now too
 
Things heating up now it seems. I'd really worry for the Kurds of Syria and Turkey, they've made a lot of gains in the last four years that are in danger of being lost in the event that the Turkish army goes in to Syria to secure their 'buffer zone.' I see a lot of unrealistic rhetoric amongst Kurds on Twitter, basically saying "Bring it On!!!"
 
2cents said:
Things heating up now it seems. I'd really worry for the Kurds of Syria and Turkey, they've made a lot of gains in the last four years that are in danger of being lost in the event that the Turkish army goes in to Syria to secure their 'buffer zone.' I see a lot of unrealistic rhetoric amongst Kurds on Twitter, basically saying "Bring it On!!!"
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This is my suspicion.

Kurds making a lot of ground, statehood becoming an increasing realisation by each passing day. Wouldn't put it past Erdogan to go in, blitz the place and set up shop for the sake of 'stability'.
 
Five of the top ten tweets on my feed:









 
@Uzz you still planning on traveling in eastern Turkey this summer?
 
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