Protests are back (Turkey)

Here in Minnesota, winter lasted for-freaking-ever so it seems like it just turned spring.  And as history teaches, spring is a good time for protests.  Because the global economy is still being mostly run by stupid sociopaths, the protests could happen almost anywhere—even in places where they are relatively rare.  Nothing tops economics as a reason to get people into the streets.  This time it's Turkey and the supposed reason is about a re-development of a popular park—the destruction of a public place for the gain of a handful of well-connected real estate speculators.  So the connection of this protest to economics is pretty direct.

Turkey protests spread online, and in the streets

© AFP  01/06/2013

Thousands of people have taken to social media in Turkey as violent clashes between police and protesters over the construction of a shopping mall in Istanbul's Gezi Park entered a second day on Saturday.

By Tara KELLY (text)

Protests against the construction of a shopping mall in Istanbul's Gezi Park in Taksim Square entered their second day on Saturday after activists were violently dispersed by Turkish police on Friday.

The violent police response triggered mass protests in Istanbul, Ankara and other cities across the country with the demonstrations now channeling widespread frustration and anger with Turkish Prime Minister Erdogan, who is seen as becoming increasingly authoritarian.

Early on Saturday, a group of protesters tried to seize the building of the Turkish ruling party in the province of Izmit as the local police broke up the demonstrators.

The hashtag #OccupyGezi went viral on Twitter as the news spread quickly online.

Some of the powerful images that have surfaced on social media from the raid and the protest include a picture of protesters marching across the Bosphorus bridge and making their way to Gezi Park in Taksim Square.

Demonstrators took to the internet to set up a livestream of the demonstrations, in protest at the Turkish government's media blackouts. more with pictures

Thousands of protesters on Taksim square after riot police withdrawal

Riot police in Istanbul are withdrawing from Taksim Square and allowing the mass protest to continue unabated, Turkish state media reports. Istanbul and Ankara are seeing a second day of violent protests, with tear gas and water cannons being deployed.

Minor scuffles broke out after protesters lobbed fireworks at officers as they were drawing back, the state-run Anadolu Agency reports. Police removed barricades around the square, located in the heart of the city, which had previously been erected to prevent the anti-government protests, Private Dogan news agency said.

Despite the authorities decision to allow tens of thousands to flood onto the square, the main subway gateway to Taksim, the central station in the city's metro network, has reportedly been shut down in an effort to keep more people from reaching the ongoing protests.  more

The folks who gave us the Occupy Movement here in USA haven't gone anywhere and their issues have certainly not been addressed.  And so to stir things up, they have created this music video.  It's pretty well done.  If I were a rich guy, the only thing I would worry about is that there is no battle I can win if the weapons are created by pop culture.  And in the age of YouTube, there are a LOT of people that know how to make quality videos.  And anyone who can create a call to revolution using a tune by ABBA is damn creative.