'Standing man' inspires Turkish protesters in Istanbul

BBC News, 18 June 2013

Erdem Gunduz (C) is seen here standing on the square early on Tuesday

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A Turkish protester dubbed the "standing man" has led a vigil on Istanbul's Taksim Square days after the authorities evicted demonstrators.

Performance artist Erdem Gunduz stood silently for eight hours, facing a portrait of Kemal Ataturk, the founder of modern, secular Turkey.

Hundreds of others joined him in the square, which was reopened on Monday, before being dispersed by police.

Mr Gunduz later told the BBC he had wanted to take a symbolic stand.

Two leading trade unions held rallies and a one-day strike in defiance of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday.

Mr Gunduz appeared in the square at around 18:00 (15:00 GMT) on Monday and remained there until 02:00 when police moved in.

Ten people who refused to be moved on were detained.

"There are many, many young people on the streets," Mr Gunduz told the BBC.

"I'm nothing... The idea is important: why people resist the government. The government doesn't want to understand, didn't try to understand why people are on the streets. This is really silent resistance. I hope people stop and think 'what happened there?'"

His protest quickly captured the imagination of the protest movement. The hash tag "duranadam" ("standing man") dominated Turkish-language Twitter on Tuesday morning.

Mr Gunduz's protest contrasts sharply with the violent clashes of recent weeks, in which some 5,000 people have been injured and at least four have died.

The protests began on 28 May against a plan to redevelop Istanbul's Gezi Park, on the city's central Taksim Square, but it snowballed into nationwide anti-government protests after the perceived high-handed response of the authorities under their three-term prime minister, Mr Erdogan.

Related Article:

Turkey PM claims victory after protest crackdown

Erdem Gunduz (C) stands on Taksim square following what had been

a lone protest June 18, 2013 (AFP, Marco Longari)

Matthew’s Message - June 11, 2013 - (Matthew channelled by Suzanne Ward)

“… Turmoil in Turkey, ostensibly to protect a park, was instigated by the CIA’s “black ops” to stoke the fire between the Sunnis and Shi’ites and lead to a blazing war. Just as all other countries in your world, Turkey has policies that are not satisfying every citizen, but it is economically sound and progressive—and that’s what the Illuminati want to destroy. Although their global network has come apart at the seams, a few peak individuals are stuck in their delusion that they will take over the entire Mideast and move on to control the rest of the world too. Most assuredly, that will not happen, and when the unrest in Turkey subsides, and it shall soon, some reforms will emerge and further strengthen the country’s progressive path. …”