Saw the beginnings of a protest against the 'terrorist' PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) last night (terrorist only quoted by me, seen as a fact by the Turks I have spoken to so far in Gaziantep), before being taken to one side by a group of plain clothes police (while the uniformed police stood on nearby with riot shields and rubber bullets).
Had a discussion with one of them who spoke near impeccable English, who stressed (to me) that Turkey is welcoming of all peoples, of whatever loctation and is helping over 2m refugees.
I replied that while Turkey is without doubt one of the countries with the highest number of Syrian refugees, a lot of people are angry about the displaced Kurds due to bombing campaigns that are targetting those fighting ISIL - these are widely believed to be of Turkish origin with America likely complicit.
I should stress that people openly think of the Kurds as people that they can live in peace with, though a lot of Turks have a strong sense of Nationalism that hasn't waned since the end of World War I and the decline of the Ottoman Empire, therefore resenting hugely any attempts to redefine Turkey's borders with other countries to grant the misplaced Kurds a country of their own.
Once again I am reminded that the label terrorist is generally used to refer to any opponent in an armed struggle, and the use of the term martyrs used by President Erdogan (ref. Turkey vows to 'wipe out' PKK rebels after bomb attack) is worrying as an identifier to the way their soldiers are seen and this seems to have drummed up support for a President currently campaigning to extend his term of office to uinlimited ala that of a dictator.
While the imprisoned leader of the PKK (an interesting sociologist/philosopher called Abdullah Öcalan ) has called from his island imprisonment for an end to violent conflict, as he now believes that the Kurds can achieve national recognition with the Turks through the democratic process, and that the violent uprising of the past is no longer neccesary. The police officer stated that while this is true of Öcalan, the current people in power of the party see things differently (to paraphrase).
Was then put in a car and escorted out of the area, left to walk around this beautiful city and take in the gardens and small plazas filled with people calmly talking while children played happily around a fountain.
This is a city that rivals many in Europe for it's infrastructure and is the first city in my travels that has WiFi installed on it's trams.
Spent the night on a deconstructed cardboard box in an alley (I have convinced myself I am Solid Snake should the need for stealth arise) while some of the refugees slept on blankets or boxes in a park. Felt guilty for envying a blanket.
This morning I walked past a refugee assistance centre and saw many queuing at 8am. Reading more about the Syrian Civil War and Turkey's position, there are reports that they are turning a blind eye to soldiers, weapons and antiquities being smuggled across the southern border, about 40-50km from here. There seems a heavy police presence (three police cars pulled up and asked me and a few other lads to leave the courtyard of a mosque) but I can't find any substantiation to the claims as of yet.
Going to an NGO office today to have a cuppa with the regional director and see what I can do to help them and Syria/Iraq.
Had a discussion with one of them who spoke near impeccable English, who stressed (to me) that Turkey is welcoming of all peoples, of whatever loctation and is helping over 2m refugees.
I replied that while Turkey is without doubt one of the countries with the highest number of Syrian refugees, a lot of people are angry about the displaced Kurds due to bombing campaigns that are targetting those fighting ISIL - these are widely believed to be of Turkish origin with America likely complicit.
I should stress that people openly think of the Kurds as people that they can live in peace with, though a lot of Turks have a strong sense of Nationalism that hasn't waned since the end of World War I and the decline of the Ottoman Empire, therefore resenting hugely any attempts to redefine Turkey's borders with other countries to grant the misplaced Kurds a country of their own.
Once again I am reminded that the label terrorist is generally used to refer to any opponent in an armed struggle, and the use of the term martyrs used by President Erdogan (ref. Turkey vows to 'wipe out' PKK rebels after bomb attack) is worrying as an identifier to the way their soldiers are seen and this seems to have drummed up support for a President currently campaigning to extend his term of office to uinlimited ala that of a dictator.
While the imprisoned leader of the PKK (an interesting sociologist/philosopher called Abdullah Öcalan ) has called from his island imprisonment for an end to violent conflict, as he now believes that the Kurds can achieve national recognition with the Turks through the democratic process, and that the violent uprising of the past is no longer neccesary. The police officer stated that while this is true of Öcalan, the current people in power of the party see things differently (to paraphrase).
Was then put in a car and escorted out of the area, left to walk around this beautiful city and take in the gardens and small plazas filled with people calmly talking while children played happily around a fountain.
This is a city that rivals many in Europe for it's infrastructure and is the first city in my travels that has WiFi installed on it's trams.
Spent the night on a deconstructed cardboard box in an alley (I have convinced myself I am Solid Snake should the need for stealth arise) while some of the refugees slept on blankets or boxes in a park. Felt guilty for envying a blanket.
This morning I walked past a refugee assistance centre and saw many queuing at 8am. Reading more about the Syrian Civil War and Turkey's position, there are reports that they are turning a blind eye to soldiers, weapons and antiquities being smuggled across the southern border, about 40-50km from here. There seems a heavy police presence (three police cars pulled up and asked me and a few other lads to leave the courtyard of a mosque) but I can't find any substantiation to the claims as of yet.
Going to an NGO office today to have a cuppa with the regional director and see what I can do to help them and Syria/Iraq.
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