This is a platform to provide up to date and verified information on the events in Istanbul as they unfold, set up and operated by activists on the ground.
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If you live in the Bay Area and don’t already know about Fireworks yet, you should head straight to the nearest infoshop and pick up a copy of the first issue. They’ve already accomplished goals that Slingshot has been struggling with for years: they have an unbelievable roster of high-quality on-point radical articles, a beautiful and intuitive layout, and a seamless web integration. They even have a pun in their title! They’re actually a little similar to Slingshot in the early days, when we focused on Bay Area anarchist news, but they’re definitely more geared for the 21st century, and are far less focused on UC politics. It’s super exciting to see the new member of the region’s anarchist media ecology, and I can’t wait to see the next issue!
Pick some up at The Holdout (San Pablo & 23rd, Oakland), The Long Haul (Shattuck & Woolsey, Berkeley), or presumably any other radical media distro center in the area, or check them out at http://fireworksbayarea.com
It seemed as if the world had entered the age of the austerity riots. And then Istanbul erupted. Let there be no mistake, Istanbul cannot be lumped in with Athens, Barcelona, Lisbon or New York. What is happening in Turkey is the flip-side of the anti-capitalist coin. It is an uprising against development. It is a street battle for cities that belong to people and not capital. It is resistance against an authoritarian regime emboldened by an economic boom. What we are seeing unfolding in the streets of Istanbul is a convergence between Turkey’s small but growing anti-authoritarian left who has been organizing various campaigns of social relevance in the past years and a large section of the urban population loyal to the Kemalist ideals of modernism, secularism and nationalism. This being said, the situation in Turkey is extremely complex and necessitates an understanding of many different political situations that have been developing over the past decade.
Istanbul, Turkey Just as Tahrir is different from Port Said and as Occupy Wall Street was from Occupy Oakland, Ankara and Istanbul are also different. Every city has its own nuances and obstacles t…
Help us launch the Tsega Center! This is an entirely grassroots funded project, and needs your support. The Tsega Center will be an independent feminist social center that prioritizes radical self-organizing by and for women, queers, trans people, gendernonconforming people, people and youth of …
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Gezi Gardens (previously Hayes Valley Farm) Occupied in Solidarity with Turkish Rebels
The occupied garden in San Francisco is slotted to become condos. It was occupied after a march through San Francisco on Saturday in solidarity with protesters in Istanbul and beyond.
Update as of 6 am (PST)
Due to a media blackout, the following updates are hard to confirm, but come directly from comrades on the ground in an undisclosed major city.
Vicious attacks from state security
- Police chased protesters towards military barracks. The military opened their gates to allow protesters in and pointed their guns at the police. No shots were reported to have been fired.
Four people are said to have died so far. Other reports from the ground say this is not at all confirmed.
Internet and satellite services are scheduled to be be shut down by the State. Mobile communications were down the entire day yesterday, as well as throughout the night.
Anyone seen filming (with exception of mainstream media) targeted with violence by police.
Street lighting shutdown.
Helicopters are shooting plastic bullets indiscriminately into crowds of protestors and pedestrians.
The massive amounts of tear gas being used has caused many injuries and is said to be the biggest obstacle.
From a source on the ground, the numbers of injuries are in the thousands.
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A protest in a small Istanbul park has become a lightning rod for grievances against the government, and it could be explosive
Saturday June 1st @ 1 PM
950 Gough St at Eddy, San Francisco (Jefferson Park across from free farm)
On the night of May 27, bulldozers and backhoes rolled into Gezi Park, a tiny island of trees and grass at the center of Taksim Square in Istanbul, Turkey, and started ripping it apart. This was part of a government project to “pedestrianize” the historic square—what that meant in this case, according to many blogs, was turning one of the last open green spaces in the city into a shopping mall. No community organizations or local people were asked what they thought about the plans for the park, devised by the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which included rebuilding historical barracks that were demolished in the 1940s and adding sidewalks to make the square more friendly to pedestrians.
Four days later, after nonviolent protesters occupied the park and survived attacks by the police that included tear gas and water cannons, they’ve won at least a temporary victory thanks to a court decision. In fact, Istanbul’s mayor, Kadir Topbaş, just announced that there was never any plan to build a mall. It’s an amazing 11th-hour turnaround, but it didn’t happen without a battle.
Protesters began gathering in the park as early as Monday, May 27, and word spread through social media as more pro-park, anti-government Turks showed up to sit in front of the bulldozers. By Wednesday, the police were involved, and they responded to the nonviolent protests with aggressive tactics—what really got everyone’s attention was a photo from Reuters showing a young, apparently peaceful environmentalist in a red dress getting pepper-sprayed by a gas-masked cop. That image became a symbol of the “occupation” of Gezi Park, as well as the cops’ terrorization of the protesters.
We will join Liberate the Land at 950 Gough St in SF to march in Solidarity with those brutalized by Turkish Police for merely trying to save a park from being torn down.
This is a non-permitted march (yay) and there will be a constructive direct action that takes place after the march. Talk to folks there about the details, or just come along for the ride! We need livestreamers, video, signs in solidarity with Taksim protesters, and most of all, you.
Did you know that not only can you send Jack books, letters, and vibes, but you can also send him care packages! Here's the link with instructions how: http://mycarepack.com/default.aspx?instno=ALAMEDA
We’re a budding project on a shoestring budget. FireWorks is a DIY project – a self-organized attempt at spreading counter-information across the bay, and beyond. Our dreams are big, but our pockets aren’t, and while truly the best way to support this project is to contribute content, distribute the periodical, and discuss the articles with your neighbors, a second best way might be to help fund it.
Your funds help cover printing costs, mailing to prisoners, and who knows, if it’s substantial enough, maybe even helping us quit our jobs and work on this full time!
Thanks,
The FireWorks Project
