May Day Celebrations

[JohnF]

Looks like the government are ready to play hardball for May Day - 40,000 Polis to be on duty in an attempt to stop folks accessing Taksim Square.

Hurriyet

JF

[KKOB]

I wonder who's gonna win that match ?

[JohnF]

There'll be no winners unfortunately - and I suspect Willy Hills wont be opening a book on it either.

JF

[JohnF]

First blood to the Polis.

A good friend of mine - Canadian girl - was coming home tonight (from Harbiye heading to Nisantasi via Taksim Meydani) and got, as we might say in Dundee a smack in the puss.  Difference was, it was a Polis with a baton - she is now in the Amerikan Hastanasi with a fractured face.  That's the easiest way to describe it.

She's a forty something year old English teacher at an Istanbul university...

Just spoke to her mother about quarter of an hour ago and tried to explain the sh1t that's going on in TR.  Not sure I did such a good job, but she thanked me anyway.

JF

[nichola]

That's terrible. Really sorry to hear this about your friend John. Hope she heals quickly.

[davybill]

Taxim sq,a place to avoid at the moment,

[JohnF]

Got fuller story - wasn't a baton, it was a pavement!

A couple of polis started chasing some bloke and didn't care who got in their way, her and her friend were sent flying.  She fell awkwardly and bashed her face - result, broken nose and badly sprained wrist.  And this was well before anything kicked off, about 10pm and the area around Taksim was (relatively) quiet as they'd just started blocking the square off.

All a bit different now...

JF

[kevin3]

There  is a comprehensive update on the HDN with pictures. What a disgrace.
He's prepared to wreck the country to avoid justice.

[JohnF]

Ironically, apart from the European side in Istanbul and Ankara, everywhere else May Day passed in the spirit it should.  Over in Kadikoy on the Asian side of Istanbul folks were allowed to do as they've always done, marched, had speeches and everyone had a good time - contrast that with Besiktas at 8am this morning...

JF

[usedbustickets]

Oppression on this scale - 40,000 Polis - suggests that Reg is looking not just for post election victory over protestors, but is looking for violent revenge too.... Worrying.

Thanks for the on the ground report John, sometimes we do not get near enough from Calis and the UK to what is going on when people protest in Turkey.