Put To The Protest

Issue #252

Hello and a belated mutlu bayramlar! We must inform you Pikachu has become a resistance figure.

In response, critics have labelled the fabled Pokémon as a Japanese psyop and Zionist symbol. Ariz Kader has some hard truth for them.

In this week’s recap:

• CHP mobilizes against state pressure

• Peace process divides and concurs

• Turkey-Israel spat marks Syria transition

• Domestic and diplomatic wraps

• CIA hunt for Noah’s Ark uncovered

Also from us this week:

• Wouter Massink on the CHP’s Maltepe rally and the opposition’s strategy

• Arife Köse and Diego Cupolo discussed the Turkey protests (video coming soon!)

• Tomorrow: Azra Ceylan gauges the severity and impacts of opposition boycotts

CHP chair Özgür Özel returns to fist principles. © CHP

Real protests involve sacrifice. Especially items of great affection, like cigarettes, which at least some protesters have considered dropping to deny the Turkish government tax revenue.

Boycotts unrolled across Turkey Wednesday after student groups called for a ‘Buy Nothing Day’ to push for the release of more than 300 jailed protesters and the restoration of democratic rights following the arrest of İstanbul Mayor Ekrem İmamoğlu last month.

CHP chair Özgür Özel also supported the boycott call, which drew hard reactions from government officials (more details in Friday’s Economy recap). Our team observed some closed bars in İstanbul’s Kadıköy district, but the boycott was less visible in Ankara’s Çankaya district. Both neighborhoods are CHP strongholds.

This comes amid heavier-than-usual government pressure in Turkey. Since our last recap, we learned BBC correspondent Mark Lowen was detained and deported for covering protests.

Additionally, Swedish journalist Joakim Medin was detained and is being held "isolated" at Silivri prison, which is “not cold”, according to jailed director İlker Canikligil, and not too cramped according to Ümit Özdağ’s drawing of his cell.

Even İmamoğlu’s lawyer was briefly detained. In other attempted chilling effects, Turkish prosecutors are seeking up to three years imprisonment for detained protesters. RTÜK, the state broadcasting authority, also imposed 10-day broadcasting bans and fines on opposition-friendly TV programs.

In response, EU enlargement commissioner Marta Kos cancelled a planned trip to Turkey and a meeting with FM Hakan Fidan. The Council of Europe is separately preparing a Turkey visit to monitor “democratic backsliding.”

To push back on all of the above, Özel led a large rally in Maltepe Saturday, unveiling the CHP’s plans to continue demonstrations and boycotts, while launching a petition for İmamoğlu’s release. Özel also noted the rally was not covered on some pro-gov news channels.

While the event turnout was energizing for segments of the opposition, Özel emphasized his party continues to face anti-democratic measures. On Monday, he named an AKP official that may be appointed to oversee the CHP-held İstanbul municipality.

Seren Selvin Korkmaz, co-director of the IstanPol Institute and Mercator-IPC Fellow at the İstanbul Policy Center, said the opposition party’s record is marked by difficulties in responding to “autocratic attacks”, which created “disappointment” among their supporters at critical moments.

“But now this time, the CHP actually gave the response that people would like to see,” Korkmaz told Turkey recap. “So, I think this removed the gap between opposition voters, in general, the youth and the CHP.”

She added the variety of protest strategies also invites participation from different kinds of citizens. For example, the petition allows activists to mobilize, while others can participate in boycotts from home. The continued rallies also show voters they “are not alone” with their sentiments against the status quo.

More broadly, Korkmaz noted current trends could help CHP attract centrist swing voters. She defined this segment as people who may vote between Zafer Party and TİP as well as younger voters whose parents support the AKP-MHP alliance, but who are unsatisfied with their current prospects.

“By reacting to their demands, the CHP may have a chance to fill a gap, actually,” she said. “If they also mobilize them, if they also include them in this movement, I think they have a chance to get their support.”

DEM and MHP officials held their first Eid visit ever Sunday. © MHP

Eid and abet: Peace process divides and concurs