FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Turkish-Americans of Southern California Denounce Violence against Peaceful Protestors in Turkey
During the past week, very concerning developments took place in Turkey. What began as a peaceful social action to save a park in central Istanbul, Taksim Gezi Parki, from being demolished to be replaced with a new shopping mall has been crushed by the police with disproportionate force and brutality, leaving several dead and dozens wounded. Among the wounded were congressmen, renowned artists and community activists. In response, the protests quickly morphed into a grassroots response by tens of thousands across Turkey, pleading for preservation of their right to free speech, peaceful demonstration and participation in governance.
Support also poured in from outside Turkey’s borders. The public reaction now appears to have become a broad response to a series of concerning events in Turkey in the past few weeks, including the bombing in Reyhanli, in the Hatay Province bordering Syria. This was the largest terrorist attack in Turkish history which left 40 dead and over 100 wounded. The fact that these events have been widely covered by numerous global news outlets, and yet that the vast majority of the Turkish media and press refused to provide coverage, opting for entertainment programming ; indicates that there is serious limitation on the freedom of the press in Turkey.
ATASC stands in solidarity with our fellow Turkish citizens who have suffered as a result of this brutal response. Consequently, at 7pm on Friday, May 31, 2013, in Los Angeles’ Pershing Square, over 1,000 Turkish-Americans, students and supporters of freedom convened for a peaceful demonstration to show their support for the protesters fighting for democracy and human rights in Turkey. A similar peaceful protest is taking place on Saturday, June 1, at 11 am, in front of the Federal Building on Wilshire Blvd in Westwood.
The events in Los Angeles were organized through the grassroots efforts of the local Turkish-American community and supported by the Association of Turkish Americans of Southern California (ATASC), in conjunction with Turkish-American student associations from UCLA and USC. Individuals are asked to follow the ATASC website, www.atasc.org, or its facebook page, for further event updates and details.
