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Turkey’s Gezi Park Protesters Regroup for Ramadan

Gezi Park protesters challenge the “religion card” of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan by hosting street iftars to break the Ramadan fast.
GEZI PARKI EYLEMI / FOTOGRAF MUHSIN AKGUN RADIKAL
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The spirit of Turkey’s Gezi Park protests has brought the profane world to its knees — down to Ramadan "iftars" (dinners to break day-long fast) on the sidewalk. The protests, sparked by anger against the government’s patronizing and majoritarian policies, continue to add novelties to Turkey’s political and social landscape. And each time, we are baffled to see what the Gezi spirit is capable of. The divine grace and mercy of this year’s Ramadan is upon the rebels of the leftist, atheist or secular world! The “religion card” Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has used in his black propaganda campaign to discredit the protesters is slipping through his fingers!

When protesters took refuge in the Valide Sultan Mosque to escape the police’s pepper spray and water cannon vehicles, or TOMAs, Erdogan exploited the mosque politically, accusing the protesters of having entered it with their shoes on and imbibing booze inside. The most powerful answer he got are the “earth tables” set in the streets for iftar. And that’s Gezi’s irony of fate.

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