Turkish opposition MPs hang 'Gezi Park' banner on Bosphorus Bridge

Istanbul police on May 31 attacked a group of opposition Turkish Workers' Party (TİP) deputies for hanging a banner on the Gezi Park protests on the Bosphorus Bridge.

Tuesday May 31 2022 03:00 pm

Duvar English

Deputies of the Turkish Workers' Party (TİP) on May 31 hang a banner on July 15 Martyrs' Bridge, also known as the Bosphorus Bridge, that reads "Everywhere is Taksim, everywhere is resistance," to commemorate the ninth year anniversary of Gezi Park protests.

TİP shared a video of the incident on its social media account along with the hashtag of “Gezi is in its 9th year.”

Her yer Taksim, her yer direniş!#Gezi9Yaşında pic.twitter.com/PEZm6ZlLIp
— Türkiye İşçi Partisi (@tipgenelmerkez) May 31, 2022

However, the police soon intervened against the deputies and cut off the banner.

A video shared by MP Ahmet Şık showed the deputies being exposed to police violence.

Her yer Taksim, her yer direniş. https://t.co/UEAbbniJWL
— ahmet şık (@sahmetsahmet) May 31, 2022

After the protest, MP Sera Kadıgil said that her mobile was thrown off the bridge into the sea by one of the police officers.

Meanwhile, Interior Minister Süleyman Soylu released a statement on his Twitter account, throwing his support behind the relevant police officers and saying that they will be “rewarded” for their action. Soylu also said that his ministry will file a complaint against the TİP deputies.

Gezi Park protests initially began in Istanbul in May 2013 as a reaction to renovation plans of the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), which aimed to construct a replica Ottoman barracks on the city's few remaining green spots. The protests later grew into nationwide protests and spread to other cities.