Book-lectic

This morning a young boy died. His name was Berkin Elvan. He was 15. He had been in a coma for 269 days after being hit in the head by a tear gas canister, shot by the police of Istanbul, when he went out to buy a loaf of bread. He was just a kid. He was the eighth death attributed to police brutality due to the Gezi protests that took place last May and June. Eight dead and hundreds injured; eyes lost, broken bones, brain injuries, and chemical burns.  He was innocent, but they did not care.

The Gezi protests were not just about a park. The park was the spark but this has been about a government who cares nothing for the people. It is a government that can change laws overnight so that what you could say, do, write, and see might be illegal the next day. It is a government full of corruption, lies, and bribery that hides behind its religiosity. It is a government with no checks and balances. And now, with elections later this month, they are taking no chances.

No news channels in Turkey are covering the current protests. Some have been shut down temporarily. Friends on social media are reporting that the TOMAs (armored vehicles with water cannons on top), tear gas, and rubber bullets are currently being used on protesters. My friends all over Istanbul are reporting they cannot breathe properly in their own homes because of the over use of tear gas by the police. Two weeks ago I got tear gassed in a bar, watching a rugby game, when no one was protesting nearby because it is what they do now. A mile away there was a small group protesting the internet controls that are being put in place but it was quiet near us. It is possible that Facebook, Youtube, and Twitter will soon be blocked so I am posting this here on BookLikes. People should know.

Read more here.

Watch live if it does not get shut down.