Residents of the Göktürk neighbourhood in Istanbul have been protesting since October 31 to protect the neighbourhood’s green space. Women are at the forefront of these protests.
During the last weeks, the residents of Göktürk have been protesting to keep their green space under heavy police presence. The protest set off as a response to the project to be built by Emlak Konut GYO on an area of 224 thousand square meters.
The contestation dates back to a court case which halted the area from being open to construction projects. The origins of the issue dates back to moment when the area in Istanbul Göktürk Kemer Country, which Demirören Holding mortgaged in return for a loan of millions of dollars from Ziraat Bank, was opened for construction. After the struggle for the locals to stop this development, the plans previously approved by the Ministry were canceled by a court decision.Yet, in spite of the court order, the Ministry of Environment, Urbanization and Climate Change approved the new zoning plan.
Residents of Göktürk and supporters, who want to prevent the housing project that will be built, have been continuing their green watch since October 31st. Their main aim is to halt the construction equipment that entered the green spaces in the Kemerköy Site of Göktürk.
After the construction machinery entered their neighbourhood with police escort to conduct demolition, they shaped their protests with these slogans:
Don’t touch my green!
Let Gokturk stay green!Enough!
My soil, my water,
Don’t touch my green.No to concrete!
Justice right now.
Gülseren Onanç, a resident of the neighbourhood and the founding President of the SES Equality and Solidarity Association, voiced the demand that Emlak Konut should immediately cease its activities,
and get out of their green space. She further added:
“What I see is an order from above. We think this reaches outs to the point of the President. In other words, since he makes the decisions in the whole country, we expect our President to stop this massacre. But we will also resist, we will continue to protect all our individual rights, our environmental rights, and our greenery, we will continue our vigil. We will not allow those who collapse on our green in any way.”
MPs and administrators from the CHP and IYI Party also joined the residents to support the protests. As 24-7 News Bulletin reported IYI Party Vice Chairman Bahadır Erdem who is also a resident of Kemerköy linked the development to the increasing authoritarian politics of Turkey and stated: that “a district governor cannot ignore the court’s decision to stop the execution, but neither the district governor nor the governor listens to the law or the rights.”
CHP leader Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu tweeted:
Those who plunder nature, earthquake gathering fields,
Those who attack people who fight for nature…
And Demirören!
I’m watching you. I suggest you stop your destructive activities with Ziraat Bank’s money on Istanbul’s green areas.
CHP’s Canan Kaftancioglu made references to the Gezi Park and highlighting resistance stated “We were good together, we were determined, even if a few of our friends are currently being held captive.”
She stated since “If you are right, if you are determined, your struggle will certainly have results despite the rod of the law. In the fight for reason, morality and justice, I see people coming together here for green, regardless of our opinion, political opinion or identity. I respectfully bow to your fight.”
