ISTANBUL

On Monday (April 1), 5000 people in Istanbul alone followed a call by various labour unions to protest against the government’s draft law on fundamental changes in the Turkish health and pension system. Further protests have been announced for Saturday, April 6.

In Kadıköy, on the Asian side of Istanbul, around 2000 people gathered. On the European side, an estimated number of 3000 people demonstrated in Çağlayan in front of the the ruling Justice and Development Party’s (AKP) building.

What’s it all about?

As a foreigner in Turkey, I am still sometimes confused about what people can or cannot say in this country. Sometimes I wish there was a manual that I could consult. Then at least I would know when and why exactly I am (or someone else is) being provocative or where the boundaries lie (which, of course, does not mean I would shut my mouth accordingly but I would be prepared for reactions).

It is not so long ago – and it’s stuck in many people’s minds – that Erdoğan said to an obviously unhappy farmer in an Anatolian village: “Take your mother and go”. It was during the last election campaign. Turkish voters apparently did not take it too seriously and gave their votes to the ruling AKP (which is currently facing the threat of closure but for very different reasons). So, apparently insulting a farmer is not a big deal. However, it is a big deal if Erdoğan’s remarks are repeated on stage – as happened recently in Trabzon during a play titled “Düğün yada Davul” (Wedding or Drums). The artists also picked up politically loaded phrases like “The prime minister is scared of the United States“ and “This is not a place to sit and relax” which – according to Turkish newspaper reports – triggered an investigation into the play. Maybe government representatives do not have much time to attend theatre plays which is why they should take at least time to listen to professionals in this art – like Nermin Karademir, Culture and Arts Union Trabzon representative: “Theatre is not a place where senior officials are praised night and day. We ask the media and the public to stand up for theatres.“ (Meanwhile it is a relief to read that Elif Şafak, the author of the bestselling novel “The Bastard of Istanbul” who was accused of insulting Turkishness in her novel, is among the 20 writers long-listed for Britain’s prestigious Orange Broadband Prize for Fiction.)

What Karademir said about the arts also holds true for the media: They neither should be a place where senior officials are praised night and day. Part of our journalist profession – as well as that of the artists’ – is to be critical of what people say and do, and convey their view to the public. However, there is a difference between being critical and simply enjoying the act of blaming another party – a game which is admittedly more entertaining than factual reporting but, if we look at it with a sober mind, also clear evidence of incapacity, in politics as well as in journalism.

My experience of the past weeks (and I openly criticise the Turkish media for having taken their share in it) has led me to believe that it is not considered inappropriate or insulting to approach someone you don’t know with the words: “Oh, you are from Germany?! The Germans recently burnt Turkish people’s houses, didn't they? It was ten so far, wasn’t it?”

At least so much can be said: I don’t mind telling people that I strongly condemn any act of arson – against people of any nationality – and so do most of my fellow country people, Germans and Turks. Sadly enough, we also have some brainless souls in our midst who believe that people should be judged by their race (I would not mind expelling these poor souls but I am afraid that would not solve the problem, who would want to have them anyway?). I do not have anything against Turks (or Alevis), the fact that I live in Turkey speaks for itself. But I have something against racist views – and I do not care whether the person who utters or triggers them is Turkish or German or whatever else.

I am unhappy about having to defend myself for being German (I am not accusing Turks in general for very unpleasant incidents that happened in this country, I am, however, blaming those who are responsible for or who are in the slightest sense supportive of them).

It’s not the fault of a little educated music shop owner in Van or of a jewelery seller in Ortaköy if they share with me their concern about “a series of attacks against Turks” committed by Germans. It is the fault of journalists who make Turkish readers believe that Germans do not like Turks and the “German government is following a conscious 'fascist' policy against Turks”* (while the German government is holding an integration summit together with members of the Turkish community). These harsh and generalizing, partly even unsustainable accusations do nothing to improve relations between Germany and Turkey but adds fuel to the fire sparked by those simple minds who unfortunately make profitable headlines.

• The quote was taken from Yiğit Bulut's piece titled "Turks are being burned in Germany, While Turkey is 'Sleeping'" published in Referans newspaper. The English translation was published on the Turkish Weekly website under http://www.turkishweekly.net/news.php?id=53516

Dorte HUNEKE

Dorte Huneke , Cafebabel Istanbul

International Women’s Day in Van, in the most eastern East of Turkey, was not held in Chinese (see earlier text on Diyarbakir). However, those who had come to hear and talk about women’s issues ended up speechless. The March 8 meetings were less about women than about current political conflicts – which until today men have a greater say in. The DTP (Democratic Society Party) had organised a meeting in the centre of the city. Women and girls, colourfully dressed in their traditional costumes, gathered in front of a stage holding up signs that said “Enough!” in Turkish (“Artik yeter“) and “Women, Life, Freedom” in Kurdish (“Jin Jiyan Azadi“). Enough of what though? Women in the eastern parts of Turkey have loads of reasons to take to the streets and demonstrate for their rights, their freedom and the sake of their life. Honour killings occur frequently (about five a year), women enter marriages unasked, they are given away in exchange for money or another family member. A high number of husbands lock their wives into the house, they beat and abuse women and girls and keep them away from schools. Unfortunately, however, these issues were hardly touched upon on March 8 during the public gatherings. The local women’s organisation VAKAD (Van Kadin Dernegi, which has been doing remarkable work since 2004 in Van by offering protection and support to women, cancelled their events and concentrated on their actual work: over the course of the next 14 days a VAKAD bus will go to various neighbourhoods and villages. A group of volunteers will hand out information leaflets and talk to local women about their problems, hopes and fears. It does not matter where on earth a women lives; what matters is that women are exposed to violence: sadly enough, this mental weakness (violence) occurs all over the world. The only difference is that different cultures have found different ways of explaining or even legitimising this ugly and cowardly habit. This is what the International Women’s Day is about: Women’s rights, women’s safety and freedom. Political conflicts are a different topic.

Cafebabel Istanbul

The city of Diyarbakir, in the Southeast of Turkey and with a mostly Kurdish population, celebrates International Women's Day in a different and interesting style. Kurdish district Yenisehir Municipality prepared posters in Chinese for 8 March International Women's Day. Chinese posters celebrating Diyarbakiri Women Day displayed at billboards in town center. Yenisehir Municipality officers were interrogated lots of times and accused of being separatist in the reason of adapting Kurdish language in official documents and petitions. Whereas Diyarbakir has no Chinese population we wanted to protest ban on Kurdish language by celebrating Women Day with posters written in Chinese, Diyarbakir is a metropolitan city and we wanted show that language is not so important, but the most important thing is the given message, said Mayor Aid Sefik Dincer from the Democratic Society Party. Also Turkish and Kurdish translations of the Chinese sentences are visible on the distributed posters.

Özcan TİKİT

At the initiative of the ATLAS Women’s Network and with the active support of John Ellis, coordinator of the Summer Student Program for non-member states, Peter Jenni and Konstantin Zioutas, spokespersons of the ATLAS and CAST collaborations, respectively, a new fund has been created in the memory of Professor Engin Arik, who perished in a plane accident last November along with five other ATLAS and CAST members. The goal of the fund to keep Engin’s spirit alive by continuing to bring to CERN young, talented Turkish physicists as she had pioneered. Every year, the Engin Arik Fund will award a fellowship based on academic merit to the most promising Turkish student among the applicants to the CERN Summer Student Program for non-member states. This fellowship will be offered to the most deserving Turkish applicant as determined by the regular selection committee, preferably to work on the ATLAS or CAST experiments. This will enable one extra Turkish student each year to participate in the Summer Student Program, thanks to the additional funding from the Engin Arik Fund. The fellowship will be awarded yearly as long as the Fund continues to have the necessary resources.

Metin Arik, Engin’s husband, has pledged his family’s support to the Fund, and says: “This fellowship should be regarded as a prestigious award and all recipients should feel proud to have been given this award”. His wish is to use this Fellowship both to honor Engin’s memory and to perpetuate her work here at CERN by providing unique opportunities to promising students. Some institutions have already pledged money to the Fund. The University of Patras, home institute of Konstantin Zioutas, has committed 3000 Euros for the first two years, the ATLAS collaboration will contribute 5500 CHF in each of the next three years, and CERN will also contribute. Other institutes have also been contacted. If your institute wishes to donate some money to the Fund, it is possible to transfer funds to Team Account T273875 using a standard CERN TID form. Individuals can also give money to the Fund. A bank account has been opened by John Ellis and Pauline Gagnon at the UBS bank at CERN. The account’s IBAN number is CH8800279279289067M1J and its BIC (or SWIFT in the USA) code is UBSWCHZH80A. Anybody from anywhere in the world can transfer money to this account in any currency. All the money collected will go toward the fellowship.