A Cheap Provocation

I had just finished catching up with a friend over a light lunch when the cacophony commenced. Taken aback, I whirled around, completely flabbergasted at the sight before me.

The typically brown-tinted dining common had turned red. Not on account of bloodshed, though with passion akin to it. Obstructing tables and chairs were hastily cast aside as the vibrant flags danced amidst the bodies. Men and women alike forcefully shouted their national anthem; more an exhibit of pride than a display of vocal prowess. The first legitimate protest I had beheld since my arrival in Turkey. My inner reporter sprung to attention: I needed to get to the bottom of it.

I quickly spotted one of my Turksih kankis (term equivalent to "bro" in Turkish) and pelted him with questions. Through his insights and others that I questioned throughout the day, I came to understand the basic reason for the protest along with the realization of how deep the conflict truly is.

As mentioned in previous posts, there is a large-scale, intense conflict between the Turkish republic and the militant group known as the PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party). The latter, whose goal is the foundation of an independent Kurdish state in Turkey, has been deemed a "terrorist" organization by the United States, The European Union and NATO. The conception of the party, along with the roots of the conflict trace back to the late 1970s. But the cause of the protests and current conflict are in regard to the imprisonment of Abdullah Ocalan, the party leader, along with educational and judicial restrictions on Kurdish language usage. For the last 66 days, imprisoned supporters of the PKK have been on hunger strike, ingesting only water, tea, sugar and salt. This Kurdish protest finally ended the other day as Oclan sent a letter from his cell urging the protestors to cease.

At Koc University, the protest took a different form. The ironic venue choice of the cafeteria coupled with the passionate outbursts of cheers, placed a completely different light on the nationalist's protest form.  Many students joined in with the camaraderie, seeing this as an opportunity to display their patriotism and anti-terrorism stance. But as I watched, I could not help but notice the seemingly artificial jubilation as they clapped to the speaker's calls for nationalistic recognition. Were these students entirely convinced of their reason for being here? For protesting? Or were they merely swept along by the alluring tides of collective purpose?

This evening I attended a student forum, held as a response to the protests. Here I found about 80 calm and collected students throwing thoughts back and forth. The consensus of these students, was that today's protest lacked form and coherence. Many students felt that the protestors had no specific aim for the obtrusive and, according to one girl "threatening," nationalism. Although many found the demonstration (which are few and far between at Koc) refreshing, they could not help but criticize it for its amorphous state. According to those at the forum, many students just wanted an excuse to show their Turkish pride and hatred of the terrorists. But as one Kurdish student raised his voice due to his unease of the term 'terrorist' associated widely with Kurds, there was an obvious collective belief that everyone should be able to speak their mind, as long as they have a stance before doing so.

Although my understanding of the Kurdish conflict is minimal, I could not help but feel rejuvenated by these students. They exhibited a legitimate desire for purpose, change and justice. I realized that in America, save for one lockout in high school, I had never experienced a serious demonstration conducted by my peers. Does our nation not care as much? Do we have it 'all good?' Regardless of whether you personally believe that American youth are indifferent or non-comital, there is one extremely important take-away from all of this. Each of us needs to stand for something. If we do not have an established stance on beliefs, politics, ethics, equality, etc. we will never know when the time will come to raise our voices against tyranny. We will sit there and observe change as it happens outside of us, realizing that we played no role in its development. In order to make a difference, we must make a stand. If someone walked up to you on the street and asked, "What do you stand for?" would you be able to answer them?

Protest Footage from School Today