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April 6, 2015 Peter Yeh

Turkey has blocked Twitter and YouTube, along with hundreds of other sites, following a court order. Graffiti is fighting the block by giving instructions on how people can update their DNS to use Google’s DNS at 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4. The block was ordered because pictures of terrorists and their hostage were being shared on social […]

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November 10, 2014 Rhett Jones

The president of Turkey is not a Game of Thrones fan. Maybe he thought the Red Wedding went too far, maybe he’s pissed that Joffrey’s dead, or maybe his parents canceled their HBO subscription and now he doesn’t want anyone else to have it. Regardless of his reasoning, as of Sunday, the Turkish military is no […]

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March 17, 2014 Andy Cush

Turkish protester Ali Emre Mazlumoğlu took the above photo from the back of a police van March 7. Selfie dediğin polis otosunda gözaltındayken çekilir (7 Mart) pic.twitter.com/oc5Lit3Z1z — Ali Emre Mazlumoğlu (@AEMazlumoglu) March 10, 2014 The caption, roughly translated, says they’re in custody in a police car. The photo, of course, recalls Ellen Degeneres’ famous Oscars […]

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March 14, 2014 Andy Cush

Today’s New York Times features a full-page ad from an organization affiliated with the Occupy Gezi protests commemorating the life of Berkin Elvan, a 15-year-old boy who was killed by a police teargas canister during a demonstration. The group, called Gezi Democracy Movement, funded the ad on Indiegogo. “Fifteen-year-old Berkin Elvan died after 269 days in a […]

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June 26, 2013 Marie Calloway

Al Jazeera recently released a striking photo essay documenting the “Standing Man” protest currently taking place in Turkey. It started when performance artist Erdem Gunduz silently stood facing the Ataturk Cultural Centre in Taksim Square, Istanbul, for eight hours. In an interview Gunduz said, “Maybe the media and people will learn something from this silent standing, this resistance… […]

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June 7, 2013 Justin Wedes

Justin Wedes of Occupy Wall Street is reporting from the front lines of the protests in Turkey for ANIMAL. He’s also tweeting from the field continuously.  I’m walking with Seda, my 18-year old Turkish translator, down Gumussuyu Street that slopes sea-ward out of Gezi Park in downtown Istanbul. She has taken me here to show me where her and her […]

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Andy Cush

Today’s New York Times features a large ad in the paper’s front section that reads “WHAT’S HAPPENING IN TURKEY? The People of Turkey Have Spoken! WE WILL NOT BE OPPRESSED!” It got there after Occupy Gezi protesters staged an incredibly successful crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, reaching its $53,800 goal in 24 hours (it’s now at $101,477, with […]

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June 6, 2013 Andy Cush

In a mainstream media environment that has staunchly avoided any mention of the protests and police violence that are raging in Istanbul’s Gezi Park, one surprising, subversive Turkish source put #OccupyGezi on TV: Ali Ihsan Varol, host of “Kelime Oyunu,” or “The Word Game.” Every single one of Varol’s questions and answers on the show slyly […]

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June 5, 2013 Justin Wedes

Justin Wedes of Occupy Wall Street is reporting from the front lines of the protests in Turkey for ANIMAL all week. He’s also tweeting from the field continuously.  So you’re watching #OccupyGezi from your laptop on the couch and want to do something about it? Here’s a novel idea: Come to Istanbul. I know. I know. That sounds insane. There’s […]

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Marina Galperina

With every uprising comes the media blackout. When thousands of anti-Erdogan regime protestors marched into Istanbul’s Taksim Square last week, Turkish television was broadcasting penguins. Shortly, #OccupyGezi updates rippled across the internet. Citizen social media channels exploded with photos of police dousing unarmed protestors with pepper spray. An ocean away, Turkish-Americans watched helplessly — alone by their computer […]

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