TAKSIM GEZI PARK
RESISTANCE SPEAKS OUT: REASONS & DEMANDS
This
text is written as a result of the work aiming to identify the common
reasons and demands that brought different people on the common
ground to give a support to the Taksim Gezi Park Resistance. The aim
of face to face methodology has been explained to the people from
many different aspects that came together to resist on the common
ground. People were asked to write down their personal reasons and
demands for resistance. Later on, writings of these people were put
together on several meetings that are open to the public. Among
those, humiliating statements against any specific groups supporting
the resistance were eliminated.
The
text aims to reflect the whole picture of the resistance in general
and does not reflect the opinions of any specific individuals or
groups.
REASONS
*
I resist against the ruling government’s initiatives upon privacy,
such as, imposing a conservative morality, banning the morning after
pills, restricting abortion, censorship, etc.
*
I resist because the ruling government maintains discriminative
policies by gender, race, language, sects, political and personal
opinions, etc.
*
I resist because I do not accept being ruled by the democracy idea
solely based on majority.
*
I resist because I am against sexist policy concepts.
*
I resist because I am against “one man” cult.
*
I resist because I am against totalitarism and its derived practices.
*
I resist because I am green and the government does not pay attention
to the reports regarding destruction of the environment and only
looks at the nature to the extent it is converted to economical
interests.
*
I resist because the extension of neoliberal policies, such as,
education, health and labor are controlled by the capital.
*
I resist because I do not accept the brutal force used by the police
against the people who practices their legitimate rights.
*
I resist because I do not accept the government enacting the laws
which serve his own supporters and passing many of these legislations
as in one bag bill without discussing with the public.
*
I resist because I care the rights of human, animals and the nature
together with the historical and cultural heritage.
*
I resist because I want to protest the police for turning this
peaceful demonstrations into a war, the government for giving the
relevant order accordingly and the media for reflecting the events
exactly as the government wishes.
*
I resist because I want this resistance to be known and remembered as
a peaceful and united public movement.
*
I resist because I do not accept growing censorship on art, freedom
of speech and assembly.
*
I resist because I stand up against the political abuse over some
important symbols and/or names to insult people.
DEMANDS
*
I demand the Prime Minister to resign.
*
I demand the Project imposed on Gezi Park to be cancelled.
*
I demand police terror to be stopped.
*
I demand pluralism rather than rule of majority.
*
I demand governance rather than “being ruled”.
*
I demand an equalitarian political language instead of any kind of
sexist and discriminative political language.
*
I demand all public places to be open for democratic demonstrations
without permission.
*
I demand all the parties who intervened the resistance to be
announced one by one transparently, put on a trial, have them resign
and/or discharged.
*
I demand the people to have a voice on the urban and environmental
planning for the city that they live in.
*
I demand all the data of the people who died, injured and taken into
custody to be declared transparently. I demand the data of the people
whose names have been taken into the records of the police because of
the resistance to be erased. I demand the authorities to announce
that these people will not be prosecuted.
*
I demand any paramilitary reorganization, if planned, to be cancelled
immediately.
*
I demand structural regulations in order to free the media from the
influence of the rulling government.
*
I demand an establishment of an independent commision who will be in
charge to investigate the personal assets/wealth of the people who
have organic connections with the ruling government, and that all
the results to be declared publicly in accordance with transparency
and accountability. I demand all the identified undeserved/unlawful
profit to be utilized for the public benefit.
*
I demand that this resistance should be taken into account while the
new constitution is being prepared, and this should be done urgently.
*
I demand that election threshold should be repealled.
*
I demand that peace process must not be stopped by justifying with
the protests or other kind of reasons.
Taksim
Resisters
