June 9th Demonstration, Media Release

Below you will find the distributed Media Release about the June 9th Demonstration, which took place in front of the Canadian Parliament, Ottawa. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

On Saturday June 8, 2013, students and community members from Ontario and Quebec will gather in front of Parliament Hill to support the Gezi Park protesters and speak out against the use of excessive police force in Turkey.

What started as a peaceful sit-in to save a park in central Istanbul about 10 days ago has quickly escalated to massive rallies across Turkey drawing thousands of people from many different backgrounds. Police brutality against the protesters has reached unbelievable dimensions, with water cannons, tear gas and rubber bullets being used haphazardly. The latest numbers from the Turkish Medical Association indicate 4785 injured and 3 dead.

The protests have gained momentum across Turkey and are no longer only about the survival of the park. People’s long-repressed sentiments about disproportionate police interventions, systematic encroachment upon different lifestyles, restrictions on freedom of speech, reckless policy making in foreign affairs, deliberate efforts at societal polarization and many other glaring issues have been surfacing.

Mainstream Turkish media have ignored or significantly downplayed the protests, further fueling the protesters’ frustration in their efforts to get their voice heard. News on social media categorically contradicts the Turkish government’s claims that the events are being escalated by “extremist” and “marginal” groups. Images and videos posted on Twitter and Facebook with hashtags #direngeziparki or #occupygezi depict dozens of incidents showing violent police action towards unarmed, non-threatening civilians.

Amnesty International has issued an urgent call for action, urging Turkish authorities to immediately stop the use of excessive force by the police and to investigate allegations on the abuse of police powers. Despite all of this, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has maintained his dismissive and provocative stance. Upon his return from Tunisia, the ruling AK Party gathered government supporters at the main airport in Istanbul and encouraged them to chant slogans such as "Let us go, let's crush Taksim" or “Hands that rise against the police shall be broken.” We are extremely worried about the tone of the Prime Minister’s messages to government supporters, which divide and enrage the people of Turkey. On top of the violence that has  been going on for days, we are extremely concerned about the authoritarian and dismissive approach taken by the Prime Minister, which serve only to aggravate the situation.

Although the protests in Taksim Square have turned into peaceful gatherings after the withdrawal of the police in the last few days, police violence continues in other cities across Turkey, including the capital, Ankara.

Students and community members from across Ontario and Quebec are gathering on Saturday June 8 on Parliament Hill from 7pm to 10pm for a rally followed by a candlelight vigil to condemn police violence, raise awareness, and commemorate those who have been injured and those who have lost their lives during the protests.

We urge Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan to adopt a peaceful language, call for an immediate stop to violent police interventions, and enter negotiations with the Taksim Solidarity platform. We demand that those responsible for the violence be removed from their duties and brought to justice. We call the Government of Canada and all members of Parliament to speak out against the violation of basic democratic rights, and to reiterate our message calling for peace and dialogue.

For further information, please contact: