News - Istanbul For 91 Days

Gezi Park – After the Storm

Following a wild weekend of protests, we ventured up to Gezi Park on Sunday to see how things were going. The police had pulled out, leaving Taksim Square wholly in the hands of the people. Thousands had gathered around the square, and a festive atmosphere had settled in. We saw hundreds of volunteers cleaning up the trash and broken glass which had accumulated over the weekend, and others, less civic-minded, posing in front of vandalized, flipped-over cars.

The Gezi Park Protests in Istanbul

I was at my desk in Cihangir, trying to write about the Yeni Camii, while outside the dueling sounds of chanting and tear gas cannons were clamoring for my attention. When, just outside your window, tens of thousands of people are clashing with police in a protest that was making headlines around the world, it's a little hard to concentrate on anything else.