Istanbul: “revolution”?

Yesterday we strolled along what turned out to be Istiklal Avenue: boutiques, coffee-shops, restaurants... However our leisurely window-shopping was interrupted by the sight of people with gas masks hanging on their necks. Soon we saw a haze at the end of the street. Did we really accidently end up next to the infamous Taksim Square? A slight sensation of burning in the nose and throat confirmed our suspicions. Well, as we are already there why not to have a look? – we thought.

We did not notice any immediate danger or violent action neither from the protestors nor from the police.

Some were gathered in groups periodically chanting some slogans in Turkish so we are not quite sure what they were about.

Others were chatting between each other or even with the police who were also peacefully standing nearby.

We were not the only wanderers taking pictures on the Square: many others were taking photo and video, professionals and tourists alike.

Just before we were about to leave the Square something weird happened. First a guy came and scared peacefully sitting doves away but we did not give too much thought to it. Then crowds started coming from all the streets like they had been invited to gather at Taksim at a certain hour. At that time the police also started to act: at first they made announcement that we again did not understand but most probably advising people to vacate the area. Out of nowhere appeared young men with dozens of masks in the hands exclaiming ‘Masks! Masks!’ – we are still not sure whether they were selling them or giving away – but the anticipation that something was about to happen clearly grew. The police vans with water cannon started advancing slowly and the units – lined up and in hard hats – were following so people started to leave the square.

Surprisingly, there was no panic, no one was running, no one even had a scared face. Just the opposite, we saw a few smiles like everything was going as planned.

Look at the guys in the bottom right - do they look scared to you?

We saw water cannons spraying the water at the crowd but it was more like sprinkling and looked like it was only a show-off as the square was already almost empty at the time. They also shot a few smoke shells but they were just smoke, not tear gas.

People – still chatting and smiling – kept calmly leaving the square.

Then we felt already familiar burning sensation in our throats: tear gas. But it was not coming from the police vans. Instead the smoke shells were thrown by the guys in casual who appeared out of nowhere from the side streets. We are still unsure whether they were the police in disguise, the protestors or maybe another political force trying to ruin the image of peaceful demonstration. Then we realized why the young man had been scaring the doves: he did not want poor birdies to get hurt as the first gas grenade landed right in the spot where the doves used to sit.

It was the most organized chaos. Like a well-directed theater performance where everyone knew when and what to do. The only ones left to cry on the streets were the stupid tourists like us who did not understand the tell-tales of coordinators. 

There was no violence, no angry youngsters with Molotov cocktails, just big practically empty square full of smoke and police with water cannons marching across. Everybody else was gone to the side streets to have a kebab or whatever they do this time of day…

A few hours later we read on the news that there had been a final crackdown from the police and violence from protestors. But we did not see any of it and the square was almost empty at the time we left. Only police in white hard hats.

But what do we know? We were on land, right in the middle of it while reporters were observing from the 20^th floor of high-rise Marmara Hotel. Maybe from there it looked like a big strategic maneuver? Or did they just need the news?

P.S. We found it funny from the part of protestors defending their heritage to cover everything – including the monument in the middle of Taksim – with graffiti slogans. Is the monument worth respect less than the park?

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