On March 12, thousands of Turkish citizens poured into the streets of Istanbul to take part in the funeral of Berkin Elvan. The 15-year-old boy with huge dark eyes and an impish smile has emerged as a symbol of protest against the tightening grip of Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Across the nation, thousands more are chanting “Killer Erdogan,” and braving water cannons and clouds of pepper spray to march in solidarity.
Berkin died a day earlier, on March 11, after lying in a coma for 269 days. On June 16, 2013, at the height of the Gezi Park protests, riot police fired a gas canister, hitting Berkin on the head. Berkin had gone out to buy bread for his working-class family. “Mama, don’t go. I will. You might get hurt,” he had said.
