Artist Condemn Censor on Gezi Park Resistance

Turkey’s prominent artists condemned yesterday the attitude of mainstream media towards Gezi Park resistance. 

“As cineasts, artists and authors of Turkey, we are condemning mainstream television and newspapers channels such as NTV, CNN Türk, Habertürk, Kanal D, ATV, Star, Show TV, TRT, Star, Sabah and Habertürk for their pro-censor and non-objective attitudes on the coverage of Gezi Park resistance.”

Read by actress Şebnem Sönmez, the joint statement urged mainstream media to do objective coverage on the issue. 

"We are calling these aforementioned media organizations to immediately stop this historical mistake, broadcast within a respect to news principals, and contribute to the constitution of a democratic and free media. This is a historical process and an independent press will give confidence and freedom to all of us. We will keep on witnessing this process.”

Mutual conscience 

The statement has been made on the steps of Istanbul’s Ataturk Culture Center. It also defined Gezi Park resistance and other protest across Turkey as acts of people’s mutual conscience and underlined its peaceful aspect. 

Gezi Park resistance and protests across Turkey are manifestations of peoples’ awakening in Turkey that cannot be directly linked to any political party and found its power from people’s mutual conscience against an increasingly oppressive order. 

“The mutual willingness of these people is defend and bring awareness to their right to live, geography, city and environment within the framework of peaceful protests. 

The artists’ statement also expressed that the ignorant attitude of mainstream media did nothing but to decipher to Turkey and to the entire world the intentions of those who looked down on and attempted to degenerate Gezi Park resistance efforts. 

Demirkubuz: I am a marauder too

Following the statement, director Zeki Demirkubuz addresses to the audience, saying that he was also a “marauder” - a remark that PM Erdoğan said on Gezi Park protestors. 

He also added that he has been abroad and mistook the park tensions with Turkey’s engagement with Syria as the only Turkish television he watched abroad was TRTTurk. 

Demirkubuz reminded the police violence in Beşiktaş and claimed that the police was unable to tolerate the will of Çarşı soccer fan group. 

Suzan Aksoy, actress, also complained on the police violence in Ankara and criticized the lack of media attention on the issue. (YY/BM)