E. S. I am about the fly from Beirut to Istanbul and this is the last of 3 hasty posts on the current protests in Turkey. Hopefully I will continue to posts but topical recommendations and suggestions are welcome.

This is definitely a Kurdish initiated protest process all over Turkey. As the peace process continued, Kurdish movement was hesitant to be involved in Occupy Gezi protests. As they take on the streets, since Kurdish activists are mostly centrally organized and much more prone to fight back against security forces, this process will be unfortunately more bloody, as the last day demonstrated. However, it might also end sooner, depending on negotiations with the State.

Apart from nationalists I mentioned previously, most of Gezi Park protesters are in fact sympathetic to these protests. Especially in the context of solidarity with Kobane. Many refrain from violent means and prefer non-violent protest styles which are in turn exposed to police violence- as usual.

In their narrow mindedness, some Turks and some pro-AKP Kurds believe that these protests occur because Turkey does not help Kobane and because of violence and destruction of public goods- this will be a subject of another entry- Turkey should not help Kobane. What I understand is Kurdish activists are frustrated with Turkey’s alleged logistic help to ISIL thugs. Rojava Kurds are already defending their land but ISIL militants are using Turkey border for their logistics. This is the source of anger, some Turks do not want to see…

Pro-ISIS radicals with machetes, knives attack Kurds in Germany…

Peaceful protests against IS in Syria and Iraq organized by Kurdish nationals in several German cities ended with serious clashes with pro-jihadist Muslims in Hamburg and Celle. Police had to request…