June 1, 2013June 1, 2013

┐ A bridge is more than a metaphor, it is a path we can walk └

photos taken from the Occupy Gezi blog

After 4 days of protesting… “Police and demonstrators in Istanbul and the country’s capital, Ankara, clashed early Saturday. In Ankara, protesters attempted to march on parliament whilst in Istanbul skirmishes broke out as thousands of demonstrators tried to cross a bridge that spans the Bosphorus River. This bridge links the two continents Turkey covers — Europe and Asia. The demonstrators’ destination was the main square, scene of Friday’s violence.

As the cause of the sit-in is put to one side, protesters are now venting their anger against the Turkish government and its Justice and Development (AK) Party. The BBC reports that police fired tear gas and used water cannons on demonstrators in Taksim Square who chanted, “unite against fascism” and “government resign.”

One Istanbul resident, who gave her name as Lily, told the BBC’s World Service:
“There are 40,000 people crossing the bridge between Asia and Europe today. All the public transport is on lockdown. About half past one the entire city started to reverberate. People were banging on pots, pans, blowing whistles.”

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