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You either closed your eyes for the last few days or don't know anybody in Turkey. I have friends and family who protested (peacefully) on the streets of Istan

You either closed your eyes for the last few days or don't know anybody in Turkey. I have friends and family who protested (peacefully) on the streets of Istanbul, Izmir and Ankara in the last few days. Almost all of them had to endure tear gas, beatings and other cruel events. I have also been told by the exact same people (who don't belong to any political party btw) that people who normally wouldn't stay in a room together (think soccer fans of opposing teams, religious and non-religious people, nationalists and communists) went onto the streets to protest against the police brutality, SIDE BY SIDE. You are right, Erdogan and his party won the last three elections. But there are also rumours that they bought votes, so like you said - don't believe everything you read. The problem is way bigger than a few political parties trying to pull strings (honestly your opinion sounds very pro-government and almost conspiracy theoretical): There are people RIGHT NOW in the streets getting BEAT UP by the police (the very same organization that should PROTECT those people). Look around on twitter and facebook, read posts of REAL PEOPLE. The police brutatlity has taken a level which is inhumane and has to be stopped. Edit: (sorry I'm getting a little angry here) Posts like yours are exactly the reason why people look at this and think "oh this is just another political party power move / somebody trying to exploit the situation. This is probably all fake anyway" - while people are getting beat up.

cup 13y ago
"this is probably all fake anyway - while people get beat up. Why did the main political blocs which are supporting these protests ( BDP, CHP and TKP ) protest against allowing the syrian refugees enter turkey then. Can't you see that this is a political issue. What flags are people holding, that's a dead give away. Violence and police brutality are terrible and inexcusable but this issue and protest isn't black not white.
- vidarh 13y ago
  The moment the government starts using violence to surpress it, it becomes black and white. What motivations might be behind various subsets of the demonstrators is pretty much irrelevant at that point.
  - chatmasta 13y ago
    I agree completely. No matter what started the protests or who the parties behind the protest are, the fact that people are willing to withstand tear gas and water cannons shows that they have something worth fighting for.
- atakan_gurkan 13y ago
  It is not black and white indeed, but you are painting a black and white picture yourself. You should ask your question about the Syrian refugees to BDP, CHP and TKP themselves, nobody can know what they are thinking. The bottom line is: this is a grassroots movement. These parties are just piggybacking, perhaps because they see an opportunity for political gain, perhaps because for such a wide response inevitably some people who cannot disassociate themselves from their parties are also joining the protests.
- anon808 13y ago
  Just because it's political for some people doesn't mean it's political for all. Discounting honest protests by some because others are politically motivated is one-dimensional thinking.

cup 13y ago

"this is probably all fake anyway - while people get beat up. Why did the main political blocs which are supporting these protests ( BDP, CHP and TKP ) protest against allowing the syrian refugees enter turkey then. Can't you see that this is a political issue. What flags are people holding, that's a dead give away. Violence and police brutality are terrible and inexcusable but this issue and protest isn't black not white.

vidarh 13y ago
The moment the government starts using violence to surpress it, it becomes black and white. What motivations might be behind various subsets of the demonstrators is pretty much irrelevant at that point.
- chatmasta 13y ago
  I agree completely. No matter what started the protests or who the parties behind the protest are, the fact that people are willing to withstand tear gas and water cannons shows that they have something worth fighting for.
atakan_gurkan 13y ago
It is not black and white indeed, but you are painting a black and white picture yourself. You should ask your question about the Syrian refugees to BDP, CHP and TKP themselves, nobody can know what they are thinking. The bottom line is: this is a grassroots movement. These parties are just piggybacking, perhaps because they see an opportunity for political gain, perhaps because for such a wide response inevitably some people who cannot disassociate themselves from their parties are also joining the protests.
anon808 13y ago
Just because it's political for some people doesn't mean it's political for all. Discounting honest protests by some because others are politically motivated is one-dimensional thinking.