The Gezi Park protest began on May 28th to protest the urban development plan for Istanbul's Park of the same name. Outrage sparked as the police brutally evicted the people who were doing a sit in in the park as a form of protest. What had begun as an environmental problem cracked open much deeper issues that brought discontent to many in Turkey; issues such as freedom of the assembly, press, expression and the government's intrusion on Turkey's laicism. In this paper I will be showing how the song by Rebel K. shows the disappointment with the government especially with Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The Justice and Development Party (AKP) has governed Turkey for the past 11 years. It is a conservative party that has brought …show more content…
The third controversy surround the AKP especially the Prime Minister is his desire to change the constitution in order to give the president more power, so far the president of Turkey holds a ceremonial role as the Queen of England does. R.T.E plans to run for presidency in the 2014 election because the rules of his own party bar him from seeking a fourth term as Prime Minister. Changing the constitution for a presidential system would insure his hold onto power since he is not interested in being a solely ceremonial president. With so many controversies in the background it is with no surprise that the Gezi Park protest arose. The first form of protest that began at the park was a sit-in, comprising of tents with thousands of protesters. By the end of the June protesters were meeting in different parts of Turkey, they became very organized and created spaces to discuss how they would protest, medical centres were put in place to assist those who were being hurt by the ever-increasing aggressive police. The protest brought together many different groups of the political spectrum of Turkey, expressing their grievance from the government, from the push to conservatism, the war in Syria, environmental concerns to the authoritarian style of governing of R.T.E. When the latter was asked about the protesters, he dismissed them as “looters” and claimed that they did not represent the sentiment of the
When Society does not agree with a new policy that the Government put into place, it normally results in protests near Governmental Buildings with signs criticising the work of Government. However, protests are both
A mass meeting was to be held on May 4, to protest what was seen as cruelty by the police. The meeting was to be held at Haymarket Square in Chicago, an open area used for open markets. That day, over 1,500 people people came to listen to radical
The year 1918 brought the simultaneous culmination of both World War One and the Armenian Genocide. With Ottoman defeat and the collapse of the CUP dictatorship, the Allied Powers saw an opportunity to execute punishment and assist the rehabilitation of Armenian survivors. Despite the trial and death sentencing of several organizers of the genocide, no stable attempt was made to properly take the Turkish Government to court and press charges against this crime against humanity. Thousands of culprits were left free to remain in office and within a few months the judicial proceedings were adjourned and prisoners of war were free to be sent home. After WWI, finding the path to world peace distracted the Allies. Organizations were formed, treaties
Ataturk and Reza Shah had a large influence on the governments of Turkey and Iran by secularizing and westernizing each. This secularization has had a distinct role in shaping the language, education, religion and government of both Turkey and Iran. Their end goals were to create a powerful and prevalent world powers that is distinct. Comparing the two countries, there were many similarities between each reformation, but each is distinct in certain aspects.
More often than naught protest music is often associated with war and politics and a little less with the social norms of the current society and culture. The most iconic artist that did challenge and changed the social norms was Elvis, even though at the time he was not aware of doing so.
The independence of Turkey and its early development as a country full of energetic youth required a combination of two almost contradictory ideals : In order to illustrate its disassociation with the past Ottoman authority the new government desired international style which expresses scientific modernization and political liberation; However, the Kemalists also wanted to preserve a certain degree of cultural root in order to boost, if not, maintain nationalistic devotion of its citizens. Consequently, a new hybridization of theses two ideals emerged
Protest have been used throughout our nation’s history in order to reform or implement the ideas that seem just to our nation’s people. The history of protest in America would mainly be because of the government, either the government would be at war or it would be legalizing and denying laws people just don’t like. Nowadays there are laws that have established Americans’ right to protest. As indicated by the article, Amending the Protest Law ”On January the Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee approved government-drafted changes to the protest law (law no.107/2013) following a Supreme Constitutional Court (SCC) verdict on 3 December requiring the Interior Ministry to seek a judicial order before banning any
So when Mustafa Kamal (Ataturk) began to form a Turkish nation state, it was not clear what constituted a Turk but soon, Kurds were considered as Turks and a policy aiming at the detribalization and assimilation of the Kurds was adopted… The Turkish government's pursuit of full assimilation has led to the proscription of publications of any book, newspaper, or other material in the Kurdish language. Moreover, there has also been an instance of arrests of entertainers for singing songs or performing in Kurdish.
In the song “Glory” sung by John Legend and Common is a powerful song inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. The theme of this song is that resistance enacts change. There are several literary devices that convey the importance and power of peaceful protest such as allusion, symbolism, and metaphors. These three literary devices help to illustrate the struggle, dedication, and triumphs of those involved in peaceful protest of the civil rights movement.
In a broader context, protest musicians composed songs about student protests in which they firmly sided with the protesters, supporting their actions and condemning those trying to stop the protests. (OnlyEverArabella, n.d.). The ideas were expressed in music as it served as a form of publicity and promotion for the counterculture community during this era. The government continuously tried to prevent media coverage about these movements but their music simply spoke the
Some of the policies AKP has enacted while in office lean toward Islamic rule. Some schools began teaching Quran, Erdogan wishes to abolish abortion, and although headscarves are banned it’s hardly ever enforced. All to which the secularists have fought back (Fortin).
According to Joseph Colomer, author of “The Science of Politics”, the minimalist definition of democracy is defined by two basic things, freedom and elections. He mentions within his book that in order to be a democracy you must have freedom of association along with freedom of expression and information. This is something that Turkey lacks. Freedom of association means to be able to form groups or clubs and meet without interference of the government. Turkey’s government has been known to interfere with
Throughout history, the middle east has often been the focus of news reporters. A middle eastern country that has not been exempt from this, is Turkey. Turkey has not only been a focus, but it also has had a very long, complicated history.
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk is known as a very important idealist in Turkey, which had become an idol for Turks. One of the most important reasons he was that crucial for Turkey was that him being a nationalist founder and leader, and the first president of the Turkish Republic. Ataturk was born in Salonika (then known as the Ottoman Empire), in 1881. The real truth is that, Ataturk, still being at his young ages, started to think about making reforms for his country and society, and eventually had reached his goals making Turkey a 'free' and 'civilized' country, by also being the first president of Turkey. There are several policies and revolutions of Ataturk, which make him a really known, loved, and respected person worldwide, such as Republicanism,
Throughout American history, people have protested to create change in the time and circumstances in which they live. At the heart of every protest are grievances, such as experience of illegitimate inequality, feelings of relative deprivation, feelings of injustice, moral indignation about some state of affairs, or a suddenly imposed grievance (Stekelenburg). Whatever the reason, protests have been an important and present part of American society for many years. There are multiple ways in which people protest. People use books, magazines, and social media as forms of protest. Music is among the most important mediums, for the majority of society listens to and enjoys it. Songwriters and celebrities, tending to have an elevated presence in society, draw attention to subjects they believe should be spoken about in order to create change. Over the years, song artists have used their platform to show their objection to racial discrimination, war, and intolerance towards specific groups of people.