What is happening at Boğaziçi University?
Today, starting from the afternoon, Boğaziçi University in Istanbul, Turkey, which is the most prestigious university of Turkey, has been under blockade by the government’s police officers. (please read and reblog)
About a month ago, the government appointed an outsider trustee to our university as a rector. Without an election, without a question.
About a month ago, we stood up. Professors, lecturers stood up. We stood up everyday after the appointment happened. There were several peaceful protests took place inside and outside the campus throughout the month:
The professors’ academic stand under snow, rain or wind; “trustee rector festival and even a small music concert.
There was also an exhibition with student artists displaying their arts.
Alongside the exhibited arts, there was a piece with the picture of surroundings of Kaaba replaced with a Şahmeran (which is an Anatolian mythological figure with a woman head and a snake tail that is exalting woman presence and agency in Turkish culture.) With 4 flags of LGBT+ on the corners.
Yesterday, 5 of our friends were taken into custody for this piece of art and later, 2 were arrested. They were accused of possessing LGBT+ flags (???) and being hateful towards a religion (???).
Yesterday, we, Boğaziçi students were threathened with death by the radical islammists of our country, backened up by the government. Even the Ministor of Interior Relations called us “LGBT deviants”. They threatend us with laying our corpses on the streets and hang us on the cranes.
Today, the students were there to protest the unjust arrestments of 2 students.
Today, the police was also there to block the press release which we have the right to do.
Today, snipers were placed on the roofs looking at our campus gate.
Today, we were attacked by the police on our own campus gate. Several students have been taken into custody while walking down the street with the accusations “you weren’t looking down” and the police used brutal force before the prostest even begun.
Today, we were trapped inside our campus. The police was holding on the gates and not letting us out.
Today, our so-called trustee rector called the action force upon us inside the campus.
Today, the police action force attacked us, students in our own campus.
Today, 159 of our friends were taken into custody for defending their rights, their university’s legacy.
Today was a hard day to be a student at our university, to be a human being at our country. We don’t feel safe in our own campus, and most importantly, our own country with this government.
But we are not giving up!
Tomorrow we will be more!
Tomorrow we will stand out against to the fascist government and its appointed trustee rector Melih Bulu with more passion!
We will never look down and we will not accept! #BoğaziçiDireniyor
