https://www.facebook.com/OccupyGeziParkiNYC

***** Daily Actions at:
Turkish consulate at 50th St. & 3rd Ave. 12noon-2pm

and at

Union Square 14th St 7pm-9pm

TURKISH CONSULATE – 6 train to 51st & Lexington
UNION SQUARE – 4,5,6,N,R,Q,L train to 14th St. Union Square
ZUCCOTTI PARK – 6 train to Courtlandt St., A, C to Fulton St.

—————

We are meeting at Union Square (14th St.) in New York City on Sunday, June 16, 2013, between 12-6 pm. to show solidarity with the people of Turkey in their struggle:

For Gezi Park; 
For an immediate end to police brutality;
For freedom of speech;
For freedom of assembly and demonstration;
For freedom of press;
For freedom of faith;
For civil liberties;
For the protection of the environment;
For an impartial judiciary;
For the due process of law;
For the solidarity with all people, regardless of their race, ethnicity, religion, gender or nationality;

For a fully democratic Turkey;

Please join us, hear our voice, and share our concerns. 

—————

IMAGES – http://imgur.com/a/JvJD3

Taksim Solidarity generated this announcement through meetings and forums that took long hours till the early morning.

Our resistance that started in order to prevent the demolition of Gezi Park and save its trees has spread to Istanbul and to the entire country with the anger of thousands of citizens accumulated over the 11 years of AKP rule. Hundreds of people completed the 18th day of the resistance.

We witness a resistance, the most expansive struggle to claim our rights in the history of our country, which has been exposed to intense police violence since day one. We are going through a period in which the rights of people, including right to life, are trodden. However, this cruelty have united the crowds instead of disintegrating them, has strengthened the solidarity of the people who get to know each other through this struggle. Under heavy gas bombardment, which suffocated every living being, more and more people filled the streets and turned this resistance into a major social movement.

The government’s fist reaction towards the crystal clear and righteous demands, which have been voiced since the very first day of the resistance was to ignore them entirely. Then, they attempted to divide the resistance, provoke people and damage the legitimacy of the movement. In both national and international public opinion, the government has failed in these attempts. At the end of the day, it was the legitimacy of the government, not the resistance, that eroded. Therefore, with the pressure of our righteous resistance, the AKP government was pushed to address the solidarity and start a dialogue. Nonetheless, this is just the beginning, our struggle continues.

During the first 18 days of the resistance four citizens lost their lives due to police violence: Ethem Sarısülük, Mehmet Ayvalıtaş, Abdullah Cömert and Mustafa Sarı. Many were wounded, lost their eyes, vision, and even limbs. We feel the pain of those who were killed and remember that they were killed in pursuit of their most basic democratic rights. We repeat that no serious legal action has yet been taken against those who perpetrated and oversaw the actions that lead to the killing of our friends, and we restate that we will make sure those who are responsible for the violence are brought to justice. Furthermore, many people are still in custody due to the arbitrary policies of the security forces concerning custody durations. On behalf of the people resisting in Gezi Park and Taksim Solidarity, we call for the release of those who were taken into custody because of their involvement in the uprisings across the country.

During this time we have seen that we were able to unite, converse, create commons, and struggle together despite the violence inflicted upon us. What was considered to be the weakness of pluralist democracy allowed us to stand tall in resistance against majoritarianism. Against the government’s power, which is dependent on capital and ecological destruction, hundreds of thousands gathered in Gezi Park to defend the trees and thus defended their own lives and freedoms. The Gezi Park Resistance as a space of freedom has shown great resolve in keeping a peaceful conduct against police violence.

As people resisting in Gezi Park and Taksim Solidarity the most important thing we have learned so far is that the resistance cannot be contained within time or space, and that it will continue in every aspect of life, in every part of the city and the country, in every square meter and every moment.

On the 18th day of our resistance, on Saturday June 15th, we will continue our occupation for the park and all the living creatures within it, our trees, our life spaces, our private lives, our freedoms, and our future. We will pursue this struggle until our demands are met.

This resistance will be the reflection of the collective will of Taksim Solidarity and a symbol of our comprehensive struggle. From this day forward, we will continue to fight against all kinds of injustice and suffering in our country with the dynamism and strength generated by our struggle which has spread across the country and perhaps the world. We are stronger, more organized and more hopeful than we were 18 days ago.

THIS IS JUST THE BEGINNING, RESISTANCE WILL CONTINUE!

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Sent: Sunday, June 16, 2013 1:01 AM
To: ufpj-activist@lists.mayfirst.org
Subject: [ufpj-activist] #OccupyGezi Crackdown: Police savagery leads to death of young protester

I am forwarding this from a list to which I subscribe.  I scrubbed the original sender because I did not obtain consent to share their id and contact info.  Skip to below contact information for Turkish embassy and consular offices in US to read these reports.  Regarding the video:  graphic disturbing images – viewer discretion is advised.
PLEASE  SHARE THIS MESSAGE WITH OTHERS.

Her name is Lobna Allamii.

Passing along this message ….

Lobna Allamii was shot by police at the Taksim Square. She was a doctoral student, who was peacefully protesting. She was a philosophy student at Orta DoÄŸu Teknik Ãœniversitesi (Middle East Technical University). She was 34 years old.

• I am in contact with a doctoral student there who is sending me this information and photos first hand. He asks that we share these far and wide. So please repost. Ask that people contact the Turkish embassy to register complaints for human rights abuses by the police against peaceful protesters. And demand that OUR government act now to condemn the brutal regime of President Erdogan.
• This photo was taken just before she was picked up and placed on a stretcher. She was later declared dead. She was the first casualty of the police brutality. Here is a video, which begins with her on this spot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pI6fLOTpAOk
• Note the blood on the ground under her head, and on the stretcher the moment her head brushes against it …
• Note that the police responders had special gas mask helmets, and seemed in more of a hurry to remove her from the scene than anything else, as evident by the way she was lifted without any support for her head or neck and flopped onto the stretcher. It has been reported that she was shot with a tear gas canister, which crushed the back of her skull.
• I will forever be haunted by her eyes, in these moments before her death.

Friends-

Here’s an urgent update from Istanbul tonight. It’s absolutely horrifying.

New York activists are showing solidarity in Zuccotti Park and at a hack space in Bushwick building communication tools to support the wounded, find missing people and more.

—–

LIVE FROM ISTANBUL: Today, following Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ErdoÄŸan’s extremely sectarian, separatist, and fictious speech in Ankara, around 9 PM, the Turkish police began to attack thousands of people who were at the Gezi Park and Taksim square, having dinner. There were kids under 4-5 years old, mothers, and old people among those who were under gas and pressurised water attack. According to reports, police doesn’t allow journalists to report or to take pictures from Gezi Park. They are also attacking with pressurised water business such as famous Divan Hotel that opened its doors to protestors running away from brutality. People are saying there are thousands of wounded inside the hotel. People formed a human chain in front of the hotel to prevent police to attack. Another report says that people cannot leave the hotel because police is arresting whoever leaves. There are also unconfirmed reports that police shut down the metro and boats between Asia and Europe to stop people coming and joining the rest. Another report says that there is a jammer in the area to prevent TV stations’ broadcast. There are hundreds of wounded. There are a lot of missing kids, or kids who are separated from their families. Protestors are fighting with police in Sıraselviler, Cihangir, Harbiye, and most likely around Dolmabahçe and Maçka. People call it a total brutality, a real savagery that is going on tonight. What we are seeing an ugly war where only one side have weapons. THIS IS STATE TERROR !!!!!!!

http://vasington.be.mfa.gov.tr/ContactInfo.aspx                    COMMENTS: http://vasington.be.mfa.gov.tr/Comments.aspx
Nam k Tan, Ambassador
Ambassador’s Message
Ambassador’s Biography

Address: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue, N.W. Washington, D.C. 20008

Telephone: +1 202 612 67 00             +1 202 612 67 01

Fax:  +1 202 612 67 44

E-mail: embassy.washingtondc@mfa.gov.tr

Facebook Profile  http://www.facebook.com/turkishembassy

Twitter Address  http://www.twitter.com/turki

Working Hours:  Monday – Friday   09:00 -18:00

Office of the Press Counsellor

Phone (202) 612.6807

Fax (202) 319.1087

E-mail trpressoffice@verizon.net

Turkish Consulates

• Honorary Consulate General of Turkey in Georgia / Atlanta

Phone +1 (404) 848-9600

Fax +1 404 848 9600

E-mail mdiamond@honturkishconsulga.org

Address Chairperson, The American Turkish Friendship Council 1266 West Paces Ferry Rd. NW Suite 257 Atlanta, GA 30327

Honorary Consulate General of Turkey in Baltimore

Phone +1 (410) 889-0697

Fax +1 (410) 889-0697

E-mail czkiratli@bcpl.net

Address 313 Wendover Road, Baltimore, MD 21218

Turkish Consulate in Boston

Phone +1 857 250 47 00

Fax +1 857 250 4748

E-mail consulate.boston@mfa.gov.tr

Address 31 Saint James Avenue,Suite #840, Boston, MA 02116

Honorary Consulate General of Turkey in Detroit

Phone +1 (248) 701-1050

Fax +1 (248) 626-8279

E-mail nurten@turkishconsulategeneral.us

Address P.O. Box 986, Farmington, MI 48332-0986

Honorary Consulate General of Turkey in Flowood, MS

Phone +1 (601) 936-3666 x128

Fax  +1 (601) 939-5685

E-mail ejones@mmiemail.com

Address 1000 Red Fern Place, Flowood, MS 39232

Turkish Consulate in Houston

Phone

+1 713-622 58 49

+1 713-622 03 24

+1 713-622 32 05

+1 713-622 32 76

Fax +1 713-623 66 39

E-mail consulate.houston@mfa.gov.tr

Address 1990 Post Oak Boulevard, Suite 1300, Houston, Texas 77056-3813 U.S.A

Honorary Consulate General of Turkey in Kansas

Phone +1 (816) 415-8325

Fax +1 (816) 415-8325

E-mail emruert@kc.rr.com

Address 812 N. Woodridge Lane, Liberty. MO 64068

Turkish Consulate in Los Angeles

Phone

+1 (323) 655-8832

+1 (323) 655-8039

+1 (323) 655-8056

+1 (323) 655-8329

Fax +1 (323) 655-8681

E-mail consulate.losangeles@mfa.gov.tr

Address 6300 Wilshire Blvd.,Suite 2010, Los Angeles, CA 90048

Turkish Consulate in New York

Phone +1 (646) 430-6560 / +1 (646) 430-6590 (Konsolosluk Ça r Merkezine 1-888-566-76-56 numaral telefondan 7 gün 24 saat ula labilmektedir) Acil Sa l k konular için: Prof.Dr.Adnan Çinal E-mail:acinal@gmail.com

Fax +1 (212) 983-1293

E-mail consulate.newyork@mfa.gov.tr

Address 825 3rd Avenue, 28th Floor, New York, NY 10022

Honorary Consulate General of Turkey in San Francisco

Phone +1 (707) 939-1437

Fax +1 (707) 939-1433

E-mail bonnie@kaslan.com

Address 1281 Oak Creek Drive, Suite A, Sonoma, CA 95476

Honorary Consulate General of Turkey in Seattle

Phone +1 (206) 662-8234

Fax +1 (425) 739-6722

E-mail john.gokcen@boeing.com

Address 12328 NE 97th Street, Kirkland, WA 98033

Turkish Consulate in Chicago

Phone +1 312 263 06 44      +1 312 263 12 95

Fax  +1 312 263 14 49

E-mail consulate.chicago@mfa.gov.tr

Address  455 N. Cityfront Plaza Dr., (NBC Tower), Suite:2900, Chicago, IL 60611 – USA

http://benjaminheimshepard.blogspot.com/2013/06/from-zuccotti-park-to-taksim-square.html

Fighting the corporate takeover of NYC

June 1 Update: Since Monday, May 27th, citizens of Istanbul from all backgrounds have been staging a peaceful resistance in Gezi Park, the city’s largest public park, protecting it and its trees from a large gentrification project to transform a public park into a shopping center. The demolition of the park should be understood as another incident of the government’s ongoing appropriation and privatization of public resources. Since the peaceful occupation started three days ago, The Turkish police have repeatedly intervened, with each intervention more violent than the last. The riot police set fire to the occupier’s tents, and used tear gas relentlessly, causing serious injuries.

Join us in Liberty Plaza for solidarity with the Occupiers in Istanbul. More information can be found on the Facebook event here: https://www.facebook.com/events/159210150931985/ or by following the hashtags #OccupyGeziNYC , #OccupyGezi on Twitter for more information.

———–

We came together on September 17th, 2011 to call out Wall Street for its toxic stranglehold over our lives and our body politic, to envision a new way of living free of this control. We spread far and wide, continuing the Movement of Squares that began with the Arab Spring and grew to encompass Europe as the people took to the streets to reconnect with each other instead of disconnecting and accepting economic austerity. We have been evicted from Occupy’s home at Liberty Plaza, but that was but one small part of an idea that cannot be killed so easily – that the people of the world will reclaim their agency and take direct action to improve their lives and the lives of their neighbors. Summer comes soon to New York City, and with it we hope we might return to Liberty Plaza and active resistance here around Wall Street, deep in the belly of the beast.

The most important function of all in Liberty Plaza was the free exchange of ideas, the ability to express oneself in political speech and be heard by your fellow man – together we each brought what we knew together and built a mosaic of the problems we face, learning that all of our grievances are connected and are based upon how we choose to relate to the world… and what we allow when we cede power, in choosing that relationship. Occupy Wall Street was formed in the spirit of direct democracy, to put people’s hands back on the power that drives our lives, and without a presence in Liberty Plaza that common space we shared as the pulsing heart and the quickening brain of our community has been lost to us.

Starting on June 1, we must stand united with the Turkish people. AND we need to reconnect with each other, and to the great work that lies still before us. The struggle has continued on, and we have continued to struggle – but social distance has drawn us apart from the shared community we once so intimately embraced, and we want to re-engage with each other so that we can draw on each others’ strength and share support in our challenge against the powers that be and the corrupt system of the world they rely upon to hold them in place. We refuse to support them any longer, we refuse to support that which cannot sustain life for the many in order to raise up the few, and we invite each and every person who wishes to join to pick up a sign and come in person to Liberty Plaza to reclaim our common home and fill it once again with growing resistance!

——————-

http://blog.amnestyusa.org/europe/protests-in-turkey-three-steps-you-can-take-now-to-halt-police-repression/

Police reportedly used tear gas on May 28 to disperse a group protesting the demolition of Taksim Gezi Park in Istanbul. This was just one of many recent instances where Turkish police have used excessive force to repress peaceful protests (Photo Credit: Bulent Kilic/AFP/Getty Images).

Images of Turkish police employing shockingly excessive measures against peaceful demonstrators has once again highlighted Turkey’s willingness to stifle dissent as well as the impunity of its security forces.

Protests which began with a few hundred activists protesting the destruction of one of the last green spaces in central Istanbul, have, in part as a response to images of police brutality, swelled to thousands. Further protests are scheduled not only for Istanbul, but for other cities in Turkey and around the world..

In a statement issued today, Amnesty has called on Turkish authorities to end its brutal repression of peaceful protests and initiate investigations into well-founded allegations of police brutality.

The statement notes that:

More than a hundred protesters are reported to have been injured during police interventions. Some suffered head injuries and at least two people had to receive emergency surgery.

Amnesty International activists who were observing the protest were also hit with truncheons and tear gassed.

But we need your help in telling Turkish authorities that these brutal measures are unacceptable.  Here are three things you can do:

1. Use social media to get out the word

Spread news about this issue via facebook, twitter, and other social media sources.  If you use twitter, here are some suggested tweets:

.@Valimutlu Police use of force against #direngeziparkı protestors is excessive, unacceptable & breaks international HR standards @aforgutu

.@Valimutlu @RT_Erdogan Istanbul authorities must immediately stop police violence against peaceful #direngeziparkı protestors @aforgutu

Amnesty International’s issuing international call to its activists to take action over police violence in #Taksim #direngeziparkı @aforgutu

2. Write Namik Tan, the Turkish Ambassador to the United States and tell him that these actions are unacceptable

What to include in your letter:

A. State that you are concerned that excessive force by law enforcement officials is routinely used in Turkey. In Istanbul, police used excessive force to disperse May Day protesters only four weeks ago.

B. The use of tear gas against peaceful protesters and in confined spaces where it may constitute a serious danger to health is unacceptable.  Excessive force against peaceful protesters, as has been evident in the police response to these protests, breaches international human rights standards and must be stopped.

C. Remind the ambassador that any decision to disperse an assembly should be taken only as a last resort and in line with the principles of necessity and proportionality. International standards require that in dispersing assemblies, police must avoid the use of force or, where that is not practicable, must restrict any such force to the minimum necessary. Amnesty International calls on the authorities to carry out a prompt, independent and impartial investigation into the allegations of excessive and unnecessary use of force, and ensure that any law enforcement officials responsible for arbitrary or abusive use of force to be prosecuted. Amnesty International also calls on the authorities to ensure protesters’ rights of peaceful assembly and freedom of expression.

3. Stay informed.  Follow Amnesty USA’s work on Turkey on our facebook page or blog siteand we will keep you up to date on how to take further action.

“The use of violence by police on this scale appears designed to deny the right to peaceful protest altogether and to discourage others from taking part,” said John Dalhuisen, Director of Europe and Central Asia Program at Amnesty International.

Help us to ensure that these rights are protected.  Take action today!