Things are crackin' in Turkey!

[donkiez]

Whats going on in Turkey right now?

Anyone else following this? I just found a minute by minute update on reddit. Most local news have no to small stories on it. Seems like a big deal and looks like twitter and facebook are blowing up.



couple of highlights so far

Protests doing on in Istanbul, Ankara, Izmir, Balıkesir, Çanakkale, Eskişehir, Konya, Edirne, Bursa. Also solidarity protests in Germany, Nederlands, France, Spain

Military helping the wounded protesters have been attacked by the police using gas grenades and water jets. The police has attacked the military! Protesters have cornered the police doing the attack

Police helicopter dropping tear gas from the air. One of the canisters started a fire on a roof of a building

Harbiye area in disarray. The military museum and the hotels in the area have opened their doors to the protesters and provide first aid.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

http://www.newsday.com/news/world/t...er-turkish-police-raid-tree-protest-1.5381359

Live updates from twitter and facebook translated here -

 

[SlyPokerDog]

And OKC just got slammed again by a tornado.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Live Turkish TV coverage here - http://www.ustream.tv/channel/halktvcanli

I can't understand what they're saying but the police is firing tear gas and cracking heads.

 

[donkiez]

Explanation of whats going on from a new comment in Reddit. Doesn't sound Syria bad.... but still not good. Seems religion and politics don't mix, hmmm who would have thunk it?

"For those who are asking for an explanation that your average American will understand...
Both by tradition and by constitutional mandate, Turkey is a secular country. Separation of church and state, basically - but just like in the US, there's always been some friction about the degree of separation.
Just like in the US, people in rural areas tend to be more religious, people in urban areas tend to be less so - but keep in mind, when I say "more religious", I am talking about Muslims, but not Jihadis or fundamentalists or whatever term you prefer.
Anyway, the ruling government in Turkey has been increasingly Islamist for the last few years, and has been pushing unusually hard towards the 'more religion' side of the equation. As opposition has increased, the government has become increasingly hostile and repressive.
The Turkish military is a secular organization. Several times in the past when the rural areas of the country elected a ruling group that went too far towards Islamic law in government, the military has stepped in, overthrown the government in a coup, then returned to civil elections once everybody calmed down.
So is Turkey headed for a Syrian-type civil war? No. The Turkish police are under the thumb of the government, but the military is not, and just like in Egypt, the military is the real power. If the current government is overthrown, there will be elections again - but unlike Egypt, fundamentalist organizations don't have major power in Turkey, and are unlikely to weild a controlling influence."

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Maybe it's a good thing that Portland doesn't have a Turkish community. :MARIS61:

 

[donkiez]

Maybe it's a good thing that Portland doesn't have a Turkish community. :MARIS61:

I disagree, mostly because of the lack of doner kabab places though.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

I disagree, mostly because of the lack of doner kabab places though.

Portland was one kabab short of getting a Hedo.

 

[SlyPokerDog]

Wow!

 

[Further]

One of my favorite vacations was to Turkey. Wonderful people, history, scenery and culture, I sure hope the country doesn't get screwed up by religious fanatics.

 

[jlprk]

Both Israel and Syria dislike the current administration, and when you add up all their allies...this revolt has every intelligence agency in the world behind it.

Dividing and conquering the police vs. the military is just the start.

 

[donkiez]

Im really surprised how little coverage this is getting.

 

[Masbee]

One of my favorite vacations was to Turkey. Wonderful people, history, scenery and culture, I sure hope the country doesn't get screwed up by religious fanatics.

It will.

Sad to say, but it is virtually guaranteed.

Islam is on the march, and will not stop for a while yet.