Wind of the youth on the streets
Despite all pressure and obstruction, the boycott action by university students across the country continued into its fourth day. In İstanbul, students left their campuses and gathered in front of Şişli Shopping Mall. Universities in many cities, especially Ankara and İzmir, turned into spaces of protest.
Bilge Su Yıldırım-Ebru Çelik
Students recognise no pressure or barriers. Students from İstanbul University gathered at the central building in Beyazıt. Those meeting in the backyard of the Faculty of Economics sang songs and danced together. The student music clubs of the Faculties of Economics, Literature and Law held a joint concert. After the forum, the students began marching towards the rectorate building at 16:00. Accompanied by chants, they walked to the main gate. Meanwhile, student representatives met with the rector to convey the demands raised in the forums.
RELEASE OUR FRIENDS
The youth demanded the release of their friends who had been taken into custody. At the main gate of the central building, students gathered and sat in front of the gate with student representatives while being encircled by police. Shortly after, CHP Provincial Chair Özgür Çelik met with İstanbul Governor Davut Gül. Following the meeting, the police blockade was lifted and the students left the area.
Students coming from campuses later gathered in front of the Şişli Cevahir Shopping Mall at 18:30. Hundreds of police officers surrounded the mall.
Police repeatedly called on the youth to “remove your masks.” They forcibly uncovered their faces and recorded them on camera. Some were taken into custody. Demonstrations continued at other universities as well:
Başkent University: Students marched across the campus, chanting “Everywhere is METU, everywhere is resistance!”
Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University: Students marched from Fındıklı to Beşiktaş with a banner that read “MSGSÜ on boycott, Tayyip resign.”
Karadeniz Technical University: Students held a sit-in protest at the festival area on campus, chanting “No salvation alone, either all of us or none of us!”
Dokuz Eylül University: Students from the Faculty of Arts and Sciences also marched, shouting “No salvation alone, either all of us or none of us!”
Boğaziçi University: Students gathered at the South Square in support of their detained and arrested friends.
‘Anadolu’ Resembles a Festival Ground
In Eskişehir, students of the Anadolu University gathered in the garden of the Faculty of Fine Arts. Hundreds of students broadened their boycott, turning the campus into a festive space. They painted together.
HACETTEPE MEDİCAL FACULTY PROFESSORS STAND WİTH STUDENTS
The academic staff of the Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine declared their support for the students, expressing concerns for the country’s future.
Gathering in front of the faculty building, the professors said, “We do not want to lose any more of our doctors or students. We are worried about the future of our country. The process that began in İstanbul and has now spread across the country—detentions—undermines social peace.”
The statement read: “Together with our students, we want to live in a country where democracy prevails and the rule of law is upheld. We deeply admire and are even envious of the determination and hope we see in the youth striving for a secure, peaceful, just and merit-based future that democracy and law more than deserve. We congratulate them.”
Source: Gençlik rüzgârı sokakta
