‘Standing man’ inspires a new type of civil disobedience in Turkey...

A man’s single act of defiance in Taksim Square last night has turned into a silent struggle across the country for the right to protest.

One man, later identified as performance artist Erdem Gündüz, started standing silently around 6 p.m. in the middle of Taksim Square, where police is limiting access following the crackdown on Gezi Park protestors on June 15.

The young man stood in the same place without moving, staring at the flag of modern Turkey’s founder Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, which is hung on the Atatürk Culture Center (AKM), a scene of the struggle between police and protesters over the last three weeks.

He was soon joined by a group of around 300 fellow demonstrators, who all came to stand in silence beside him, staring in the same direction. The group included renowned Turkish designer Barbaros Şansal. Full story...

Related posts:

1. Turkish police detain 25 for tweeting...
2. Tweeting Turks sidestep mainstream media...
3. The Turkish riots in 90 seconds...
4. "People are very, very angry." Protests, demands grow in Turkey...
5. Turbulence in Turkey: Massive protest sweeps Istanbul's Taksim...
6. Mass protests rage on in Turkey...
7. Biggest protests in 20 years sweep Brazil...