Tear Gas....Welcome to Istanbul!

Hi Charlotte,
Welcome to Istanbul. Actually these kinds of incidence are normal here but not very frequent. Mostly the people living here knows the day, time & place when such thing will occur, for instance 1st May or a football match. Usually people have specific place to hang around, malls to shop etc. I suggest you not to go towards Taksim, Beşiktaş area (specially on weekends) unless its very necessary.
regards,
Jawad

Yeah i was there

u are unluckily drop down such a kind of situation. once or twice a year it can occur in some areas of Istanbul as ABJSYED mentioned. nowadays some atheist, gay, lesbian, alchoolic, problem producing  people against all kind of actions of Turkish goverment and the event what u suffered just happened because of them, not because of police. but i can understand your fear and i am very sorry for that. sure it is not common at all and do come again without hesitation.

Hi,
I am very sorry about the gas and police's cruel action
the people of Turkey are currently engaged in resistance againts the anti-democratic  policies of the ruling AKP goverment.Our basic right and freedoms have been under assoult daily and the protests that are now engulfing the streets of Istanbul.Ankara and a multitude of other cities. Tear gas water cannonsand phisical attacksupon protesters are an affront to international human rights law. I just recommend to you to stay away from taxim square for a while. I hope you'll enjoy other parts of Istanbul.. Have a nice vacation in my city.. Love & Peace

ilighy can you show one anti-democratic policy of ruling party? can you show only one? the answer is no. this silly protestors become together to support taksim square lovers (normal lovers, lesbians and gays etc). there are two kind of people in turkey, one of them love their history, love their religion, love their tradition; other hate all such things and love western life style. as anyone can understand from ilighy's profile photo; she hates religious people, as our president and prime minister.. that's all the reason of all fighting  in turkey nowadays. they hates islamic life style and we are sorry for their ignorance about religion. gays and all kind of homo sexuals will go to hell  to live but not to turkey.. no way !!!

Thanks for your reply batumlu. However, I do find your language a little disturbing. Gay, lesbian, straight, muslim, christian, Jew... etc... are all in this world together. We share the world and can live in harmony with some understanding and education.

I have many gay friends and nobody (or Government) has the right to tell another human being how to live their life! I also respect and love Turkish history and I have the upmost respect for Ataturk.

I don't believe the police should be using such brutality on other human beings, this is just disgusting behaviour.

I will continue to enjoy my time in Turkey regardless. Peace.

Thanks

i can share this world with everyone, but dont say me gays ... its terrible, can you show me one example from wild animals which can make sex male to male ? give me only one example. i dont want to live with them in same society, either they must hide themselves or they must go to somewhere in space, such as hell

http://hurarsiv.hurriyet.com.tr/goster/ … 2013-06-12

please read this news: from russia with love

I have an article for you too:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_animals_displaying_homosexual_behavior

Life is for living and loving, not hating. It would be a very boring world if we all thought the same to a set of rules enforced upon us by closed minded people.

Peace and Love.

yes i am closed minded happy man. i close my mind for ignorant anti-christ, atheist people, i just dont care as they dont care me. i am respectfull every kind of freedom too till they attack my life style. gays attack to my family oriented moral values already, so i dont like them in my society. thats all what i want, is it too much ? wide - minded

Just stay away from that area to protect yourself...

Hey, don't worry to much, just try to stay away from the Taksim Square and surrounding streets during the attack. Youca follow live events at Halk TV, Ulusal TV, Arti bir tV and some others.
Funny tips here: tarafuki.wordpress.com/2013/06/14/how-to-travel-during-an-uprising-in-istanbul/

Stay safe!

Cheers,
Tatyana.

Hi Charlotte,
Just share what you see..Share with your friends here in Turkey and overseas. So that public all around the world can understand the brutal incidents here in Turkey, as the major media channels don't broadcast them in a neutral and objective manner. In the long run, I believe some people of my country and global communities will see the reality, the facts and the reasons of this turmoil. Now, Turkey is not waiting for Godot, the facts are clear, the main issue is democracy and human rights, this is what the society asking for. These are the struggles of being in a semi-democrat country.
So, my modest suggestion is; just stay away from Taksim from late afternoon until midnight that's it. However, do not forget sharing your experiences  re this resistance, which is already spread all over the country, with your overseas friends.
Enjoy your stay in Istanbul:)

hiya are you coimng from Birmingham? ohh my god i love Birmingham such a nice city ever seen i used to live in london and 9 months ago i moved back for good but i miss Uk alot and feel yourself at home in Turkey if you need any help pls do not hesitate to write me
facebook.com/cem.usta.73?ref=tn_tnmn
here you go my facebook page take care and good luck xx
cem

Check on the news and keep away from areas where the protests are taking place. The protests in case you don't know are ongoing in most cities in Turkey. It is best not to discuss the present situation with anyone unless you know their views.

Hi Charlotte. This is not typical, and I do hope this current situation resolves, peacefully. Stay safe, and away from crowds. God bless you.

[Moderated: Post off topic.]

I have got the same experience in Taksim.
I went there to buy a Turkish language book for foreigners, didn't know the protest was going on...I found myself in the middle of police and protesters' mottoes,clapping, and tear gas! I hardly can speak Turkish but people there were kind to me and helped me washing my eyes with lemon juice.

It was almost a week ago, and I haven't bought the book yet

Your inbox is full !

You shouldt go there when you see crowds who are looking for their human rights.The police are incredible crazy here and they are not polite like in UK or any other European countries.

thanks for all the comments guys.... I loved Istanbul in general and I even wrote a song about my time in Taksim. https://soundcloud.com/55-bpm/diren-gezi Hope you like it. xx

charlrose wrote:

thanks for all the comments guys.... I loved Istanbul in general and I even wrote a song about my time in Taksim. https://soundcloud.com/55-bpm/diren-gezi Hope you like it. xx

Nice song    I lived that days again with your song . .

Poor you and poor eyeballs hope your ok now living so far away from there never even knew anything was going down