FEB 4, 2007: Nationalist Demo in Istanbul
UPDATE: What Reuters reports as a nationalist demonstration, was actually an anti-Armenian gathering in the Armenian populated district of Istanbul, where Turkish nationalists chanted things like “Armenians should know their limits.” According to a group e-mail I received from a Turk in Istanbul, “Yesterday a crowd of people gathered in the center of Samatya (an area, mostly inhabited by Armenians) and shouted anti-Armenian slogans like ‘Armenians should know their limits.’ Police came and dispersed them.”
Photographs distributed by Reuters via YahooNews show a group of nationalist Turk “protesters carrying a banner that reads, ‘We all are Mustafa Kemal. We all are Turks’ during a demonstration in Istanbul February 4, 2007. A group of nationalist protesters on Sunday demonstrated in reaction to banners that read ‘We all are Armenians’ carried by those who attended the funeral ceremony of Turkish-Armenian editor Hrant Dink last month.”
Several Turkish children were wrapped in Turkish flags and placed in the front of the demonstration. As always, Reuters “forgot” to mention that there was also, at least, one Azerbaijani flag during the apparent anti-Armenian protest.
Why are nationalists using Turkish children again and again? Wasn’t the 17-year-old kid enough?
LiboshlarGeberin on 05 Feb 2007 at 5:37 am #
Everyone who live in Turkiye are Turk. Some still don’t accept it but. It a was a message for the people who believe in Kurdish shit.
Hayk M. on 05 Feb 2007 at 9:32 am #
haha, Liboshar, tell that to the 15 million “Turks”, primarily in the East of Turkey. What century do we live in, when a person must ACCEPT who he is against his or her will!
ironically, i was going to leave a comment regarding how i think the Armenian news coverage is anti-Turkey biased, where they dont talk much about the considerable number of Turks who are liberal and progressive enough to speak out against the system. but i guess, Liboshar, you wouldnt want to hear anything about those Turks either; they must taint the image of “pure Turkish society” for you…
Carl Holtman on 05 Feb 2007 at 10:11 am #
Actually, the picture you show are of the nationalist demostration on Istanbul’s main pedestrian street, Isitklal Caddesi, not of the reported demostration in the Armenian district. I am sick of what these ‘nationalists’ are doing ofc sourse, just wanted to point out the facts regarding the pictures though.
Onnik Krikorian on 05 Feb 2007 at 11:33 am #
I was going to take exception with Simon’s concern at Reuters forgetting to mention an Azeri flagin among dozens and dozens, but then I saw LiboshlarGeberin’s comment.
Man, get a life you nationalist turd. Firstly, people anywhere are citizens of the country they live in and have equal rights under the law.
After that, they have the right in any democratic country to determine and define their own identity after that, and especially when it comes to ethnicity.
Failure to understand that doesn’t bode well for Turkey’s future, and the only logical outcome of such a retarded nationalistic mindset as yours is civil unrest, and war.
Personally, I hope Turkey continues with its negotiations to join the EU if only because if it doesn’t, such crucial issues will not be tackled as soon as they should be.
Sad. I hate nationalism. I despise it. It’s pseudo-patriotism dressed up to hide the real ideologies behind it — xenophobia and racism.
Turkish Anatolian on 05 Feb 2007 at 6:34 pm #
I remember watching Djivan Gasparyan & Erkan Ogur’s concert on TV. Besides the fantastic tunes I was hearing, I was fascinated by the naive countenances of both, an expression of how democratic these 2 persons could be and how democratic the people can be. If, one day, members of this country get rid of artificial nationalism and get back to their roots, then that democratic environment will be very unique and envied all over the World. Because, nowhere in the World has the diversity Anatolia has.
PS: Everyone living in Turkey are Anatolians, lovers and flowers of this very unique territory. And their only ultimate departure is the flow into its deepest voids as Hrant did. May he rest in peace and salute all our Anatolian ancestors.
feto on 08 Feb 2007 at 10:26 pm #
Aren’t you a nationalist and even racist yourself?
Anatolian on 11 Feb 2007 at 3:16 pm #
When I asked that question to myself, and read my comments again, I also could come up with such a comment/question. I apologize for the confusion.
However, I belive, having all those flowers named as Anatolians leads to a more embracing saying instead of calling them all Turks. They all share the same garden, Anatolia, for many thousands of years.
If asked, I cannot even name my race. The irony is in the garden, where I can only find a ground on the identity question.
Using the nick, Turkish Anatolian, may seem conflicting. However, this was meant to show that there are also people not like the members of that parade in Anatolia. Some of those people showed up, kept silent and practiced empathy during Hrant’s funeral. (I feel the same when I listen to Gasparyan’s tunes.) Although it was not weekend, more than 100 thousand people gathered, and it was not an organized gathering like those 100 sth people parade mentioned above.
Blogian on 11 Feb 2007 at 9:56 pm #
Thank you for the comments, all. Carl, thanks for pointing out the confusion. Do you happen to have photographs from the protest in the Armenian district?
sertac on 04 Jul 2007 at 10:30 pm #
why are armenıans tellıng the chıldıren a hıstory wıth full of hatred agaınst turkısh people ? was not asala enough ?